Angel of Darkness
by romanianphantom
Summary: Christine travels to Bran, Romania to visit her friend Meg. While there, Christine meets Erik Dracul and quickly is drawn to him. But Erik has a secret that he tries to keep from Christine in order to protect her. The two form a friendship that soon turns to love and Erik is forced to reveal his secret...he's a vampire. Will Chrisitne accept him as a vampire? (POTO meets Dracula)
1. Visiting a Friend

**Author's Note: ****_the reason I'm writing this one is because I'm taking an Gothic and Horror Lit class and we're currently reading Dracula, so I thought I write a story with a bit of horror; not to mention Dracula is my favorite monster._****_Plus I also wanted to have a story with the setting in Romania since it's my home country. Now this story is basically POTO meets Dracula with a few Twilight references (only a few). I hope you guys enjoy this one :) _**

_Chapter One: Visiting a Friend_

**"Hurry up dad, I can't miss my flight!" Christine yelled from her bedroom. She was running around her room, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything. Her whole closet was basically packed in her suitcase while she packed several books, her laptop with her charger, her beauty products and a few movies. Her suitcase almost overflowed from everything, but she still managed to close it. Her phone was all charged up and ready to use. She had gotten an international plan for it so she could talk to her dad while overseas. Quickly checking herself in the mirror, she made sure she looked alright. Her chocolate curly locks were pulled back into a French braid, pushing it off her beige skin. A pair of hazel brown eyes scanned her appearance, approving herself. Quickly putting on her pair of UGG boots, she dragged her heavy suitcase out of her room. Her father was waiting in the kitchen when she came downstairs and helped put the suitcase in the trunk. Grabbing her purse, she got into the car and pulled out her phone to quickly text her friend. Her dad started the old Beetle and began the long drive to JFK Airport. During the ride, Christine looked at SELF Magazine that featured Emmy Rossum. She was a big fan of Emmy and often got called 'Little Emmy' due to how alike they looked.**

** Arriving at the airport, her dad helped her check-in her luggage and get her plane ticket. He walked her over to the security and hugged his daughter. He was going to miss her while she was gone, but wanted her to have a good time. Saying good-bye, he watched her go through security and then to the gate. Waiting at the gate, Christine quickly went on her Twitter and Facebook via her phone to sign-off before boarding the plane. When it was time to board, she got up and went to stand in line. Finding her seat, she texted her dad to tell him and turned off her phone. As she waited for the plane to take off, she looked over the safety instructions. The plane soon took off and began its long flight to England. Taking out her favorite book, ****_The Phantom of the Opera_****, she opened it up to where she had left off. She also turned her phone back on and plugged her headphones in. Going through her music, she played the music from the 2004 movie version and began to read. At one point she had to pause her reading so that she could eat her dinner, but continued afterwards. She fell asleep sometime during the flight and woke up to the light coming through the window. Looking out the window, she could see the English countryside and couldn't believe she was actually seeing England. The planed landed and she quickly ran through the airport to catch her next flight. Before boarding her next plane, she grabbed something to eat. When the second plane took off, she resumed her reading till it landed.**

** The plane landed at the airport and Christine got off to get her luggage. Looking at the signs, she regretted not buying a book on the language. She quickly found a little store and bought a language book. Looking through the book, she found the word she wanted and looked for that sign. Spotting the sign for luggage, she followed where it led and came to the luggage belt. Getting her suitcase, she texted her friend to find out where she was. Getting an answer, she walked over to the meeting place and saw her friend.**

**"Christine!"**

**"Meg!" The two squealed as they ran to each other. It had been several months since the two saw each other.**

**"I can't believe you made it."**

**"Took a lot of begging, but I'm here." Christine looked at her friend. She still had her blonde hair, but it was much shorter than before. She also had gotten a little tanner, but still kept her green eyes.**

**"Come, you must be tired after two long flights. Mom's waiting in the car for us." Meg went to grab the suitcase. "Whoa, what'd you pack?" She asked.**

**"My room." Christine joked and took one end of the suitcase while Meg took the other. The two walked out and over to the parking lot where a car was waiting for them. Meg's mom got out to greet Christine and help them put the suitcase in the car. Once the luggage was in, they began the drive away from the airport.**

** As they drove, Christine peered out the window to look at the country. Miles and miles of green stretched over the rolling hills as big as mountains while groups of clouds played hide-and-seek with the sun. They soon came upon the Carpathian Mountains that looked like they ran forever. Christine's eyes ventured up the tall mountains as the car drove along them. Soon they arrived to a small village along the mountains and drove through it. As she looked at the village, she thought for a moment she had travelled back in time. Coming up to a small house, Meg's mom turned off the car. Christine got out and let her mouth drop. Meg came up next to her and noticed she was staring at the landscape.**

**"I still haven't gotten over the beauty of Romania." She said to her friend. "Come on, I'll give you a little tour of the house and let you settle in." Meg led Christine inside and showed her around. The house wasn't big, but big enough for Meg and her mom. It reminded Christine of a small cottage like in the medieval times or in a Disney movie like Beauty and the Beast. While unpacking her suitcase, she hummed 'Think of Me' as she put her clothes in the dresser. Once she finished unpacking everything, she headed downstairs where Meg was waiting of her. She offered to take Christine into the village. Christine wanted to see the village, so she accepted Meg's offer and they headed out the door.**

** Walking down the small pathway to the village, Meg quickly told Christine quick information about the village. Arriving, Meg showed every important building from the museum to the post office. Christine kept falling in love with the village as they continued to walk around. They stopped at a little café to grab something to drink. Standing outside the café, Christine looked far out into the distance. Her eyes scanned the landscape until they noticed a castle in the distance. The white brick walls were visible through the thick trees while the towers rose high over them.**

**"What's that?" Christine asked, pointing to the castle. Meg looked to see what caught her attention and frowned.**

**"That's…Bran Castle or Dracula's castle." Meg answered.**

**"****_The_**** Dracula's castle? From the book?" Christine had read ****_Dracula _****several times, loving the horror story. **

**"Yep the very one; it use to be open to locals, but not anymore. The castle is now owned by someone and people no longer visit, saying it's haunted by a dark spirit. Some think a vampire lives there while others have their guesses."**

**"Vampires don't exist."**

**"Not to the people here. Many people believe that vampires are real. Remember this is Romania, home to Dracula. You'd be surprised at what the townspeople believe." Meg explained. "I'm guessing you don't believe in vampires."**

**"The only vampire I believe in is Dracula, but I have yet to meet him."**

**"Well…" Meg pointed to the castle. "…there's where he's said to live." A bell stuck from the little church and people began to run around, like they were rushing to finish their work. Meg grabbed Christine's arm and pulled her through the crowd. They returned back to the house where Meg's mother was waiting for them. Once they entered the house, she closed the doors and windows, locking them. They placed several crosses around the house.**

** Later that night, Christine sat by the small fire after they had finished dinner. She had noticed how worried and frighten Meg and her mom looked since they returned. Her eyes gazed at the flames as her mind wondered.**

**"Christine?" Meg's voice took Christine attention and her eyes turned from the flames to her. "You alright?" She asked.**

**"What's going on?" Christine asked. "Why did we rush back here?" Meg sighed and come to sit down next to Christine.**

**"Do you know what day it is?" Meg asked her. Christine shook her head. "It's Saint George's Day, the day that monsters are supposed to rise and walk the earth." She paused for a moment. "For the past few years, there have been reports of people missing that have disappeared on this day during the night. Some have remained missing while others have been found…dead. They'd find the bodies; drained of blood and pale as white. Some looked like the wolves got them while others looked like someone or something got to them. So now people don't really go out at night anymore. It basically started after the castle was bought by someone." Meg explained. Now she got Christine scared too. "I'm not trying to scare you but warn you of what's been going on in this village and why mom's going to be very protective." **

**"Thank you Meg."**

**"You're welcome. Now let's call it a night; you had a long day." Meg suggested. Christine agreed and they headed up to their rooms. Christine locked her bedroom door behind her. Walking over to the window, she stared outside. Knowing she should keep it closed, she unlocked it and opened it up. Her ears caught the sound of a wolf singing its beautiful song. She always loved listening to wolves howl, loving their voices. Her eyes ventured over to the castle that seemed to be glowing in the darkness. Her eyes closed as the wind gently blew pass her face. As the wind blew, she heard a voice humming quietly. They flew open, but saw no one. Closing the window and locking it, she quickly changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. No matter how much she tried, sleep couldn't come to her. Soon the voice hummed again, a soft soothing melody and her eyelids began to close. Her mind drifted off as the voice sang her to sleep.**


	2. In the Shadows of the Castle

**A/N: Alright time to introduce Erik to the story. PS these chapters will get longer, it's just getting the introductions of the characters are stort at first. Hope you're enjoying :)**

Chapter Two: In the Shadows of the Castle

**The sun slowly rose over the village as the light peered through the large windows of the castle. The golden rays crept up upon a bed where a woman slept peacefully. The black silk sheets covered her small slim body while her blonde hair spread across the pillow. The light hit her pale face; making her wake and pull the covers over her head. Hissing at the brightness, she heard a man chuckle. Pulling the covers off of her face, but still shielding her eyes, she saw him standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Groaning, she pulled the sheets over her face again. Shaking his head, he walked over to the window and closed the curtains, shutting out the light. Sighing in relief, she pulled the covers off and sat up. The sheets fell of her, showing her nude body to him.**

**How much longer till I won't be sensitive to the sun?" She asked him.**

"**You're still a newborn, it will take some time." He answered as he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. The side of the bed surrendered to his weight. "Took me a few years, but everyone is different."**

"**I'm thirsty." She randomly said.**

"**Fresh drinks are in the kitchen and don't worry, tonight we can feast." Smiling, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips, tasting the recent flavor. **

"**Really? A child?" She asked, licking her lips of the taste.**

"**He was on the verge of death; I just helped Death come quicker." He paused for a second. "Now you need a drink." He rose from the bed and tossed her a robe to put on. Putting on the robe, she followed him out of the bedchamber and walked with him to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he took out a bag and poured the blood into a cup. Handing her the cup, she gulped it down and wanted more. Refusing, he wanted her to learn to not carve it and to control her thirst. She wasn't ready to head into the village, even if the clouds were hiding the sun.**

** He sat on the balcony that overlooked the village, reading a book that she had told him to read. He didn't like the book, but read it to make her happy. Now being able to read it anymore, he set it down on the small table next to him. Closing his eyes, he let his other senses take over. He could hear the noises from the village; people walking on the street, the sound of doors opening and closing, animals eating their food. His nose inhaled the scent of the blood rushing through their bodies. As he smelled the scents of the people, he caught a new scent. His eyes opened as he inhaled this new one. Standing up, he walked over to the edge to smell more. The scent was different from the others. It was a sweet smell and it made his mouth crave for a taste. He felt his teeth form into fangs and his eyes turned red as blood.**

"**Erik!" Her voice called out his name. Silently cursing himself, his teeth and eyes returned to normal.**

"**What?!" He called back. She appeared seconds later at the doorway. He turned around and looked at her, leaning against the edge of the balcony wall. "What is it?" He asked in a calmer voice.**

"**Just heard there's a new visitor and since today is Saint George's Day, we should pay a visit." He noticed her fangs and knew that she smelt the new scent too. He shook his head at her. "Why not?" She whined.**

"**Because if you go out into the village; you'll kill every one of them. Then what will you do?" He asked her. "Blood is the key to live for us and without it, we will starve." She pouted her lips, hoping it would work on him. "Nice try." Growling in frustration, she stormed off. Rolling his eyes, he heard the church bells ring and the chaos of the village people began. Chuckling, he listened to them and knew it would get dark soon. Turning back around, he leaned forward on the wall and watched as the sun sank over the mountains.**

** Waiting a few hours after the darkness settled over the land, he could hear the voices of the wolves as they sang to the full moon. He went to find Leila, telling her to stay in the castle while he went out to grab dinner. She complained, wanting to go with him; but listen so she wouldn't have to deal with his temper. Leaving the castle, he began to talk towards the peaceful village. He knew that the village people wouldn't be out on this night, but also knew that there would someone who wouldn't listen. As he walked around, his nose caught that scent again. Looking in the direction of the smell, he saw the Giry house. He knew Annette Giry and her daughter, Meg, for a year now and thought them as good people. He had spoken to them a few times, even was invited to dinner once. Taking another inhale of the scent, he began to hum a song he knew. Stopping, he could hear movement in a room of the little house. The movement stopped so he continued to hum the song again until he could hear the person's breathing settle as they feel asleep. Finishing the song, he continued to search for food. Hiding in the shadows, he waited patiently like a lion waiting for its prey. Soon, he heard footsteps approaching where he was hiding. When it came into view, he noticed that it was a couple; young and fresh. His teeth shaped into fangs as his eyes turned red. A slight growl left his mouth, loud enough for the couple to hear.**

"**Ce-a fost asta?" The girl asked, looking around. They couldn't really see anything but darkness. ****"****Noi nu ar trebui să fie aici" **

"**There's nothing out here." The guy said Erik silently smirked at this young boy.**

"_**Can you be sure of that?"**_** Erik's voice came out of the darkness. The couple looked around, trying to figure out where that voice came from.**

"**Who is there? Come out and show yourself." Erik slowly came out of the shadows and into the moonlight. The couple looked at him with open mouths and wide eyes. Before either of them could move, Erik moved with quick speed and attacked the young boy. His teeth sank into his neck, drinking his blood. The girl, paralyzed with fear, stood there and watched her lover as his life was drained from him. Licking his bloodily lips, he turned his attention to the frighten girl. She begged him to spare her life before a scream left her mouth, waking the sleeping people around. Moving with impressive speed, his teeth sank into her neck as well. Once her body went limp, he picked her up and carried her back to the castle. He could hear voices of the villagers as they discovered the dead body. Smiling at himself, he continued his hike to the castle.**

** Arriving at the castle, Leila was waiting patiently for him. Seeing the dead body, a devil smile appeared on her face. He set the girl's body down and let Leila drink while he went to check on the storage. Walking down to the catacombs, a familiar smell filled his nose. Turning the lights on, a wolf stood on his hind legs. His fur was of a greyish color while his eyes were yellow.**

"**Thought I wouldn't see you tonight." Erik said to the creature. Slowly, the two legged wolf transformed into a man. **

"**You can't get rid of me that easy." His heavy Middle East accent echoed throughout the catacombs. "I see you feasted." He saw the blood stain lips on his friend.**

"**Yours is waiting for you once Leila is finished."**

"**Raw?" Erik nodded. "Knew coming here was a good idea." Erik chuckled as they began to walk down the hallway to a door that held his blood supply. "So I heard there's a newcomer."**

"**You heard right; I heard too, well smelled it and confirmed it when I went into the village."**

"**So did I, but I went during the day."**

"**Your point Nadir." Erik opened the door and they walked in. **

"**She's pretty." Nadir said as Erik checked his suppy. "And she doesn't believe in vampires." Erik stopped and looked at his werewolf friend. "Maybe you should change that."**

"**I am not seducing an innocent young girl."**

"**Who said anything about seducing, I was talking about showing her that vampires do exist, that's it. And if you happen to seduce her in the process well then you could have said that you seduced a human without killing her and turning her into a vampire."**

"**Not going to happen. Besides the last time I seduced a human and revealed my secret, she killed herself."**

"**OK that wasn't your fault; she was crazy to begin with. This girl might be different."**

"**Still ain't going to happen, besides I have Leila."**

"**Erik, I'm your best friend and I even know that Leila doesn't satisfy you at all. Doesn't hurt to seek out pleasure, you never know what might happen." Nadir tried to convince his friend.**

"**No." Erik said as they headed back to the main level where Leila had finished her feast. The body was pale white now without the blood. "Enjoy Nadir, happy St. George's Day." Erik said as his friend transformed back into a werewolf. Taking the body in his mouth, he left the castle. Leila found Erik in his bedroom, cleaning off the blood off his face. Coming up to him, she kissed him on the lips. Whispering something in his ear, her hands moved to remove his clothes. Minutes later, their bodies tangled in the sheets. Leila cries of pleasure mixed with the howls of the wolves as the night went on. **


	3. Masked Man

**A/N: hope you're enjoying the story so far. I promise the chapters will be longer. Anway enjoy this one and I'll try to update soon.**

Chapter Three: Masked Man

**The sun came up the next morning and light peered through the cracks of the window. A bird chirped outside the window, but her ears picked up its voice. Her eyes fluttered open and scanned the room. At first she wondered why she wasn't in her room. She then remembered that she wasn't in America, but in Romania. Rubbing her tired eyes, she got out of bed and walked over to the door. Opening it, she walked tiredly over to the bathroom. Splashing the cold water on her face, she began to wake up. After showering and brushing her teeth, she went back into her room to put some clean clothes on. Wearing a t-shirt with jeans, she pulled her hair back into a high pony and put on a pair of sneakers. Heading downstairs, she saw Meg and her mom making breakfast. She could smell the pancake and bacon, making her mouth water. She helped set the table and get the drinks ready. Once breakfast was ready, they sat down at the table and began to eat.**

"**So what are your plans for today?" Meg's mom asked them.**

"**Maybe go back into town; I didn't get to finish showing Christine around the place." Meg answered.**

"**Will it be safe?" Christine asked.**

"**Yes; during the day it's completely safe. It's said that creatures of the night don't come out when it's light outside. It's only during the night that it's dangerous." Meg answered her question.**

"**Speaking of night, I heard someone's voice last night." Both of them stopped eating and looked at her. "What?"**

"**You heard a voice?" Meg asked. Christine nodded and looked at them. "A man's voice?" Another nod. **

"**Ea nu poate fi ...****" Annette whispered in Romanian. "****A auzit a auzit vocea întunericului.****" Christine wished she knew the language.**

"**Is something wrong?" She asked her.**

"**Nothing's wrong dear." Christine knew she was lying, but didn't bother to ask. After breakfast, Christine and Meg headed back into town. Meg was curious about this voice that Christine heard, but figured not to talk about it since she was the only one to hear it.**

** As they walked around, Christine kept looking over at the castle. Her attention was focused on the castle that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Suddenly she walked into something and fell to the ground. Looking up to what she ran into, her eyes locked with a pair of golden orbits. Her body froze in its spot as her eyes scanned the tall figure in front of her. His golden eyes sat under a thick eyebrow. His other eyebrow was covered by a white half mask that covered half of his face. His hair was black as ebony, thick and sleeked back off his face. His lips stained with the color of blood, tempting any woman. His skin wasn't white as snow, but a very little cream color. He leaned forward and held out his hand. She noticed how big his hand was, but he was a big guy. Placing her small hand in his, she gasped and pulled away. His skin was ice cold, like he had been living in the artic his whole life and just moved here. She helped herself up and stood in front of him. He still stood taller than her; she guessed around 6'3. Her eyes scanned his body, realizing how build he was.**

"**Ești bine?****" He asked in Romanian. Seeing how she didn't understand him, he repeated the question in English. His accent was heavy, but his voice was deep and handsome, very dark and mysterious in it. It reminded her of the voice that sang to her last night. St stood there, staring at him. "Miss?"**

"**Um…yeah I-I'm alright." She stuttered a bit. "I should look where I walk." Her cheeks turned a shade of red, embarrassed at herself.**

"**That might help." He paused for a moment. "Are you new here?" He asked her.**

"**Yeah I just arrived yesterday from America." She answered.**

"**I figured, it's your accent." He also could tell since she was the one with the sweet scent from yesterday. "****Bun venit în România****…or in English; welcome to Romania."**

"**Thanks…um I don't know your name." She hinted for him to give her his name. **

"**Erik."**

"**Just Erik?" She asked, realizing she was flirting a bit.**

"**For now."**

"**Well 'Just Erik', I'm 'Just Christine'." A slight smile appeared on his face and she could see his white teeth.**

"**Nice to meet you Christine." Her name rolled off his tongue beautifully, like a song. "I hope to see you around the village again." His head slightly bowed and he walked pass her. She turned to watch him disappear into the crowd. Her mind went racing with questions about the man she just met, well ran into by accident. But for once, she liked this accident. Quickly she remembered that she had lost Meg. Frantically, she began to look for her friend.**

** She finally found Meg who had been searching for her as well. Christine explained how she got distracted by the castle and accidently ran into a guy. She described the man in exact detail, hoping Meg would know who he was. His description seemed familiar, but she couldn't pin a name to the man. Deciding to forget about it, Meg showed Christine a little clothing store to show her Romanian clothing. As they looked at the pants selection, Christine caught a voice that she knew. Looking around, she spotted Erik by the men's section of the store. Elbowing Meg, she got her attention. **

"**That's him." Christine pointed towards him.**

"**Oh you mean Erik."**

"**You know him?" Christine asked.**

"**I've seen him several times and mom had him over once to learn the language when we first moved here. He's very nice, extremely sexy; I swear it should be an international crime to be as handsome and sexy as he is. He might as well be Fifty Shades of Grey." Meg explained to her friend. "Why don't you go and talk to him?" She suggested to Christine, not knowing that Erik could hear every word.**

"**What? No." She answered. "I don't want to seem like a stalker."**

"**Oh yeah, like he isn't use to that." Meg scoffed. "He is always approached by women, so he's use to it."**

"**Exactly, I don't want to be like the others." Meg looked away and smiled.**

"**Well you won't be like the others."**

"**What are you talking about?" Christine asked. Meg looked at her with a big smile.**

"**Because he's coming over." Christine turned to see Erik walked up to them. "Hey Erik." Meg greeted him.**

"**Hey Little Giry." He used his nickname that he gave her, making Christine raise an eyebrow at her.**

"**Little Giry?"**

"**It's a little nickname; like yours is 'Little Emmy' and it's cute." Meg explained, looking back at Erik. "I see you met my friend Christine." He nodded.**

"**Yes, well it's hard to not meet someone when they walk into you." Her cheeks turned red again. "You alright though?" He asked.**

"**Yes thank you." She answered him. He looked at the item that she was holding.**

"**Shopping for new clothes?" He asked her.**

"**Thought I'd show Christine some clothes see if she wants to buy any." Meg answered. "But she's a terrible shopper, never likes to buy anything."**

"**I own enough clothes, you've seen my suitcase and how packed it was."**

"**Oh what's a few more items? And when's the next chance you'll come to Romania?" Meg asked.**

"**Well if I may give my opinion, that top would look nice on you." Christine looked at the shirt and then to him. "Blue suits you." She quickly told Meg she'll buy the shirt now. Meg giggled and went to the check-out while Christine stayed with Erik. **

"**Thanks."**

"**No problem." She smiled at him. He looked at his watch and sighed. "I should be going." She only nodded, disappointed a little. Taking her hand in his, he held it up to his lips. "****Până când vom întâlni din nou.****" His lips softly kissed her hand. Releasing her hand, he stepped back and turned to head out the door. Christine remained in her spot till Meg returned with a bag. She didn't tell Meg what just happened, wanting to keep it to herself. After leaving the store, Meg took her to get some food before walking around more. They were able to stay out later this time, but once the sun started to settle, the village started to get quiet and people headed inside where it was safe.**

** Erik walked up the hill towards the castle, but instead took a detour. Walking along the path, he could smell the scent of wolves. Approaching a cave, he stood outside and waited. Soon Nadir stepped out and walked up to him.**

"**What brings you here?" He asked, surprised to see Erik.**

"**You were right; she is pretty, very pretty. I went into town today to look for some new clothes and ran into her, literally ran into her." He answered.**

"**Please tell me you're going to see her again." He basically begged.**

"**I hope so, she seems interesting."**

"**Yes!"**

"**But I don't know how though; she's living with the Giry's."**

"**With Annette and Little Giry?" Erik nodded, knowing Nadir admired Meg.**

"**Yes with Annette and Meg. And you know how cautious Annette is."**

"**I do know, but you can talk to her without Annette being there. Or have her believe that you aren't there to drink her blood." Nadir suggested. "Find out a way to talk to her that is casual."**

"**I could always see her in the village; that will be casual."**

"**There you go."**

"**Slight problem though..."**

"**Leila." They both said in unison. **

"**Well good luck with that." Nadir padded Erik on the back. "Just tell her you have some business in town that you need to take care of. I'm sure she'll believe you."**

"**Yes but what happens when she's able to come into the village with me?" Erik asked, suddenly fearing Christine's fate.**

"**You really think she'll be ready that quick?" He asked his friend.**

"**Yeah you're right, I've just overacting."**

"**Yes you are, just take one day at a time and see what happens. Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love."**

"**You know vampires can't love." Erik said to Nadir who nodded. "Well I should be heading out, need to get some dinner for Leila who probably is starving right now." **

"**Bring me leftovers please." He said to Erik who was walked back towards the castle. Arriving at the castle, Leila was waiting for him and dinner. He quickly went out to a village nearby to bring dinner home. That night, he sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes stared down at the floor, thinking about Christine. Getting up from the bed, he walked over to the balcony and looked down at the village. As he looked at the village, Christine was standing by her window, staring that castle…thinking of him.**

**What a way to meet someone: run into them. Reviews are welcomed :)**


	4. Deal with a Vampire

_**A/N: hope you guys are enjoying the story. Quick note and also thanks to princess07890 for bringin this up: since the setting is in Romania, several times there will be converstations in ROmania, but at the end of each chapter will be the translations for everything they are saying. I'm apologized that I didn't do that in the last chapter, but I'm fixing that and now each chapter will has a translation at the end so you know what they are saying. So that's the quick note and enjoy this chapter. Also I have nothing against Twilight, just incase it sounds that way. OK enough from me and here's the next chapter... :)**_

Chapter Four: Deal with a Vampire

**The summer time filled the Romanian country side, bring the warm weather. The sun shined down on the land, brightening up the country. Christine sat outside in the backyard of the house, reading her book. Meg and her mom had gone into the village to get some food while she decided to stay at the house. As she read the words on the page, her mind kept wondering back to Erik. It had been two days since she met him and she couldn't get him out of her mind. She thought of him constantly and it was confusing her. She just met him and already wanted to see him again. She had gone into the village the following day, but didn't seem him or the day after that. She had begun to think he was trying to avoid her. **

"**Oh stop thinking of him Christine." She told herself, but she rarely listened to herself. "He probably has a woman hat he loves, so why would he choose you?" She asked herself. Sighing, she set the book down, knowing she couldn't focus on reading when he was constantly on her mind. She then decided that she'd go into the village for a bit. Heading inside, she quickly wrote a little note for Meg so she'd know where Christine was. She walked down to the village and walked around. Even though she's been here for a few days now, she still didn't know all the buildings. **

** She came up to a little café where Meg had taken her before and decided to get something to drink. As she waited in line, she looked at the menu they had on display. She realized that Meg usually ordered since all the words where in Romanian and she had no idea what each word meant. Soon she was up at the register and panicked. She had wanted coffee, but didn't know that word for it. **

"**O cafea te rog, fără adaos de zahăr sau smântână.****" A voice spoke behind her. She froze for a moment, she knew that voice. Turning around, her eyes looked up to lock with a pair of golden eyes that have been haunting her sleep. "Hope you like your coffee black." She could only nodded, surprised to see him standing in line. The man gave her the coffee and Erik paid him. He led her over to a table so they could sit down. **

"**Thanks for that." She thanked him.**

"**Not a problem, but it would help if you knew the language. I can't keep saving your butt all the time."**

"**Well I have a dictionary with me to help."**

"**Suit yourself." He took his mug and took a sip of whatever was in it.**

"**What kind of coffee do you like?" She asked. He paused, trying to come up with something to tell her. He couldn't say that it was actually blood in the mug; that'd scared her. **

"**Um…espresso."**

"**Usually don't people drink a little of it, not a whole mug?" Now he was panicking a bit.**

"**Well…the caffeine doesn't really affect me as much, even though it's very strong." He lied.**

"**Can I have a taste?" His eyes widened a bit.**

"**There's a bit of rum in it and I doubt Annette would like that." He quickly came up with a lie.**

"**Yeah you're probably right, maybe another time." **

"**Speaking of Annette, where are they? I'm surprised to see you out by yourself." He wondered. She didn't know whether or not it was a good thing for him to be worried.**

"**At the food market. I was at the house, reading when they left. But I decided to head into the village to walk around and get something to drink." She took a sip of the coffee. "What are you doing in the village?" She asked him. **

"**Running a few errands for a friend, actually I'm supposed to meet him soon for some lunch." Erik answered. **

"**Well I probably should head back to the house; they might be worried even if I left a note. It was nice seeing you again; hopefully I'll see you soon." He smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the coffee."**

"**Cu plăcere." He said in Romanian. Smiling, she got up from the table and left the little cafe. Her mind mentally jumped for joy that she got to see him again. Although she felt like a fool in front of him, not understanding a single word whenever he spoke in the langauge. Even though she didn't understand the langauge, she loved how beautiful it sounded when he or anyone spoke it.**

** Arriving back at the house, Meg and her mom were unpacking the food and putting it away. They had gotten her note so they weren't completely worried about her, but glad she was home. She helped put the food away before sitting down with her Romanian dictionary and looked at the words. Meg walked over to see what she was doing and chuckled.**

"**You know that's not the way you learn a language?" She asked Christine. **

"**I know, but how else can I learn?" Christine asked her. **

"**You don't want me to teach you?"**

"**You're already letting me stay here, I couldn't ask for more."**

"**But I wouldn't mind at all." An idea came to her mind. "I know who can help you and you'll definitely agree to."**

"**Who?" She asked.**

"**Erik, he knows the language better than me since he's lived here most of his life." Meg answered.**

"**No." She said right away.**

"**Why not?" She asked her friend.**

"**Because then I'll sound…I just don't want to. OK? I don't want to bother him and I'm sure he doesn't want to teach an American a whole new language." Christine answered, looking back at the book.**

"**Fine then, it was just a suggestion." Meg walked away, leaving Christine alone. Sighing, she set the book down and looked outside. She knew she wanted Erik to teach her, but didn't want to be a burden on him. Besides, it would make her more of a fool than she already was whenever she was around him. Getting up from the couch, she went back outside and enjoyed the summer weather. She forced her mind to not think about Erik, but that failed. Groaning, she let her mind wonder about him, making her heart happy.**

** Erik spent the rest of the day with Nadir. He was getting pretty tired of Leila's complain about blood non-stop. He regretted giving her immortality and now must suffer for years to come. Although he didn't want to admit, he was started to like this Christine girl more than Leila. But how could he start something with her when he has an elephant-size secret. Sure, he'd loved to be a normal mortal human so he could maybe have a shoot with her. But there's no way he could become a mortal again even if he tried. He stared down from Nadir's cave to the village, constantly thinking. Nadir walked up next to him and saw where Erik's eyes were looking at.**

"**Thinking of Christine?" He asked. Erik sighed and nodded. "Why don't you go to the Giry's house and talk to her?" He suggested. "I'm sure Christine would be happy." Erik shook his head.**

"**It's almost dark, too dangerous to go out visiting humans when you crave for their blood. I'd put them in danger if I went now. I'll visit tomorrow."**

"**That's what you've been saying for the past two day and today was the first day you went into the village. Erik what are you afraid of?" Nadir asked. Erik looked at him, his answer in his eyes. "You're starting to like this girl." He figured it out, making Erik nod. "What are you going to do?"**

"**Nothing."**

"**Nothing?"**

"**I'm centuries old, you know how wrong that would be?" He asked Nadir.**

"**But you don't look a day pass twenty, you still look young. I mean maybe she doesn't have to know how old you are or that you're a vampire."**

"**Look I said before I'm seducing her and I'm not. All I will ever become is friends with her and that's it. I can't afford anything more."**

"**You know people say that they're just being friends before end up loving the person?" Erik groaned. Nadir patted Erik on the back, smiling at his friend. Erik stayed with Nadir till the sun went down before heading into the village for dinner. As he walked around the village, he noticed something different. He walked over to a little bar and noticed several people inside. Smelling their blood, his eyes started to turn red as his fangs grew. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice and turned to see Christine walked up towards him with Meg. When she spotted him, her heart skipped a beat.**

"**Erik? What are you doing here?" She asked him with a bit of concern in her voice. "You know it's dangerous to be out here?" He was afraid to speak, knowing his fangs would be seen. So he could only nod at her. "Is something wrong?" She asked as he tried to settle himself.**

"**I'm fine." He said with a hoarse voice. "Why are you out here if it's so dangerous?" He asked her.**

"**Meg invited me to a little party with her friends. Don't worry, apparently there's going to be vampire hunters here to protect us." He began to smell the garlic, making it hard to breathe. She noticed his trouble with breathing and stepped closer to him, putting a hand over his heart. "Erik, are you sure you're okay?" She asked him. He only nodded, but the smell of the garlic was becoming stronger and he soon couldn't breathe. He tried to remain calm, but the garlic was making it hard for him since it was causing him to choke. A hand came on his shoulder and he turned to see a man standing there, with garlic in his hand.**

"**Ești în regulă acolo?" He asked Erik. **

"**Puteți să vă rugăm să luați că departe de mine?" Erik tried to ask nicely. ****"****Sunt alergic la el ..." The man apologized and gave the garlic to another person, making it a little easier for Erik to breathe. ****"M****ulțumesc****."**

"**I didn't know you're allergic to garlic." Christine said to him.**

"**It's the smell that does it, you'd be surprised what I'm…allergic to." He regretted saying that.**

"**Oh like what?" She asked him. **

"**Um…well I-I-I-" He stuttered a bit, trying not to reveal his secret. **

"**Christine, the party is about to start!" Meg yelled from the door over to her. **

"**I'll see you later and I'll remember not to have garlic around you." He nodded and watched her walk inside. Once she was out of sight, he sprinted back to the castle. Arriving at the castle, he gasped for air. Clutching his chest, he tried to get his breathing back. Leila ran over to him, worried about him. He said that they'll have to leftover tonight since the vampire hunters are out and it was always hard getting dinner when they were out. Understanding, Leila helped him over to the couch so he could rest. He was relieved that he didn't change when he smelled the garlic, but knew that Christine would become curious as to why he couldn't breathe when he smelled garlic. Sighing, he knew that it wasn't going to be easy trying to become friends with her.**

** The next day Erik went back into the village to get away from Leila again. It seemed he was doing that a lot now, but he didn't mind walking around the village since he's been doing it for years now. As he walked, he could smell garlic and would growl slightly. Entering a little bookstore, he decided to buy a book that he would actually want to read instead of having to the read the Twilight book that Leila made him read. Looking around at the horror section, his nose picked up a scent. He followed the smell till he came to the Romance section and saw Christine looking at a book. She had a confused look on her face, probably from looking at book in Romanian and not in English.**

"**Still haven't learnt the language?" He asked as he walked up to her. She jumped and looked at him, not expecting to see him in the bookstore. Shaking her head, she held the book up to her chest. "You alright?" He asked her.**

"**Yeah sorry, I'm a little jumpy today. Meg gave me this coffee this morning and it was stronger than the one you ordered me the other day." She quickly apologized and put the book back on the shelf. "And yes I haven't learned the language yet, but I want to. It seems like a beautiful language and it would be nice to know what people are saying."**

"**It is a beautiful language; it's actually a romance language." Erik informed her. "I prefer it Romanian than French." **

"**I know a bit of French since my grandparents are from France, but I'm horrible at learning new languages…well I think I am since I haven't really taken any other language. I was homeschooled so I didn't have to learn a language and my dad is also bad at language now. He can't speak French anymore like he use to when he was young." She explained to him.**

"**Well the way to learn is to have someone teach you, not by a dictionary." He pointed to the dictionary in her little bag. "I'll teach you." **

"**You will?" Her face light up.**

"**Yes I will, if you want me too. I wouldn't mind at all to help you learn the language. But I will warn you that I'm a strict teacher."**

"**What do you want in return?" She asked him, startling him a bit.**

"**Beg pardon?"**

"**Well if you're going to teach me, I need to pay you back." She explained. "Like um…what would you like in return?" She asked again. Thinking for a moment, came up with a bargain.**

"**How about this: I'll tell you everything there is to know about Romania if you'll tell me about America. ****Primeste?****" He held out his hand. Not waiting a second to think, she placed her hand in his.**

"**Deal."**

Romanian to English translations:

_**O cafea te rog, fără adaos de zahăr sau smântână**_= a coffee please, no sugar or cream

_**Cu plăcere**_ = you're welcome

_**Ești în regulă acolo?**_= you okay there?

_**Puteți să vă rugăm să luați că departe de mine? Sunt alergic la el ... mulțumesc**_Could you please get that away from me? I am...allergic to it. Thank you

_**Primeste?**_ = Deal?

**Reviews are welcome :)**


	5. Lesson One

**A/N: ever wonder what it would be like to be taught something by a vampire? Well Christine is going to find out. **

**OK I got a question about how old Erik and CHristine are suppose to be, so I'll tell you: Chrisitne is 18 years old so she's a legal adult. However, since Erik is a vampire, he's actually way older than CHrisitne, more than 100 times older. But I'll give a hint to how old he was when he got biten: late 20's so he's also young (young as Ramin when he became the Phantom). I don't want to give too much away about Erik's past because it will be revealed later on as the story continues, but I hope that helps you guys as to what age they are. **

**Oh there was also a quesiton about Erik's and Liela's relationship since it's said that vampires can't love. They're relationship is more of a phsyical relationship than emotional. However, vampires stories are known to have vampires actually love like Dracula with Mina so maybe that will happen with Erik and Christine. **

**Hopefully I answered some of your questions, if I haven't just tell me and I'll answer them. Ok enough from me, here's the next chapter. Oh an quick apologizies if there are any spelling or grammer errors, my English isn't the greatest. And a quick thanks to everyone reading and reviews :)**

Chapter Five: Lesson One

Christine paced the floor of her living room, nervous about what the tomorrow brings. She had talked to Erik yesterday and made the deal with him that he'd teach her Romanian if she taught him about America. She didn't know what he wanted to know about America, but would tell him anything he wanted to know. She figured he had traveled a lot since he had lots of money considering he bought a castle for who know how much. But it didn't matter, she was going to not only learn the beautiful language, but also spend time with Erik which is what she wanted.

"You have got to calm down." Meg entered the bedroom after hearing Christine pacing the room for the past hour. "What are you so nervous about?" She asked. Christine hadn't told Meg or Annette that Erik was going to be teaching her tomorrow.

"Well…um…"

"Christine, what is going on?" Meg folded her arms across her chest.

"I talked to Erik yesterday and now he's going to be coming over tomorrow to teach me Romanian." Christine confessed.

"And you didn't tell me this?" Meg's voice rose in excitement. "Why didn't you tell me the sexy god was coming here? You know how much cleaning we have to do?" She grabbed Christine's arm and pulled her out of the room towards the closet where the cleaning products were.

"Meg, we don't have to clean the house for him." Meg handed her a broom while she grabbed a dust pan and brush. "Seriously Meg, the house was just cleaned yesterday."

"Christine we have Erik in our house. He's like…what Ramin and Gerard's son would look like if they had a kid together. He is the definition of hotness even though he wears a mask." She paused for a moment. "Why does he wear a mask?" Meg asked Christine.

"How should I know?" She shrugged.

"Because you've talked to him more than any other woman here." Meg answered. "Well besides Leila."

"Leila?" Christine asked, suddenly feeling her stomach knot.

"Well I probably shouldn't say anything but Leila use to live in the village when I first moved here. She met Erik and completely fell in love with him. She's moved in with him and hasn't really seen her since. My guess is she's probably pregnant or had a child and wants to stay with the kid. But I can't see why Erik would love her, she's so…oh what's a good word….oh snobby." Meg explained.

"Oh…" Christine looked down, disappointed now.

"Hey…" She looked up at Meg. "…don't worry about Leila. First off, they're not married and second, you're way prettier than her. And if Erik was smart which I know he is, he'll dump Leila for you and then you'll be his woman." Meg giggled, making Christine smile. "Now….time to clean." Rolling her eyes at her friend, Christine went off to start cleaning. For several hours, she helped Meg clean the house for Erik's visit. After cleaning, Annette made dinner for them and asked Christine what Erik might want to eat for dinner tomorrow night. She hadn't thought of having him stay for dinner, but I guess he is now.

The next day, Christine was a complete nervous wreck. Erik was going coming over sometime in the afternoon for their first lesson. She paced her living room, waiting for him to arrive. Meg and her mom had left a few minutes ago to leave Erik and Christine some privacy before dinner. She decided to stop pacing and just try to relax. Suddenly a knock came to the door and she panicked. Shaking, she walked over to the door and opened to find Erik standing there.

"H-h-h-h-hi." She stuttered, making him chuckled.

"Hi." He said so calmly. "Can I come in?" He asked her. She nodded and held the door open wider for him to come in. They walked into the living room and Erik set a bag down. Christine wondered what he had in the bag, but figured he'd tell her soon. "Okay, you ready to begin?" She nodded again and let him seat on the couch while she remained standing. "You can sit down, I won't bite." He teased a bit, but figured she wouldn't get it. Nodding again, she sat down next to him. "Ok you don't have to be so nervous. I'm just teaching you Romanian, not asking you to sleep with me." He tried to make her relax.

"I'm sorry; it's just…never really had…"

"Never had a 'sexy god' teach you something." He finished for her, making her nod. "Well hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not a sexy god as you and Meg call me."

"Why's that?" She asked him.

"Rather not say. Shall we start the lesson?" He asked her.

"Oh yes of course." He went into the bag and pulled out a notebook and a pencil. Handing it to her, he told her to take notes during the lesson.

"Ok we're going to start with the basics." He nodded. He first started teaching her the alphabet to Christine who took a bit of time, but she got it. She wrote notes as he explained the grammar of the language to her. "Ready to learn a few words?" She nodded excitedly, making him chuckle a bit. "OK I'm going to teach you a few words that will basically help you as you're learning this language. Bună ziua dor de Christine, ce mai faci?"

"How do you spell that and could you possibly repeat that about ten more times?" He chuckled and quickly wrote down the sentence.

"It's 'Good afternoon Miss Christine, how are you?'" He translated for her. "Now we'll break it down so you can get it." They began to break down the sentence so she could understand it better and also pronounce it better. "Don't force it." He told her as she tried to pronounce the words. He could tell that she was getting frustrated with herself. "Relax Christine, if you are frustrated then you won't do it right, just relax." Finally she gave up.

"I will never learn this language." She threw her arms up in the air.

"Not with that attitude. But you're just starting; it's not easy learning a new language when you've basically spoke one language your whole life. Trust me; I've been there when I was learning English."

"When did you learn English?" She asked him.

"Well…I-um visited a friend in England a few years ago and he helped teach me English." He lied a bit. He admitted he hated lying to her since she was so innocent and had no idea who she was talking to. "But it took a while till I could speak the language almost fluently; it's still a difficult language because it's different from Romanian."

"But I'm sure you were determined to know English."

"I was and I can tell you that want to learn this language which is why I agreed to teach you. Like I said I'm strict, but I'm willing to help. Yes Romanian isn't easy to learn, but once you learn it, you'll be able to basically speak a love language. It's a beautiful language."

"Ok, I'll keep trying." He smiled at her, glad she didn't give up. "But could we try something else instead of this sentence?" She asked him.

"Sure, how about this…Nu noi nu suntem pentru că atunci voi alege ceva mult mai greu și nu veți place. Deci, ne vom lipi cu aceeași propoziție și că va fi ea pentru ziua de azi. Primeste?" He spoke to her.

"How is that easier?" He laughed for the first time. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry I couldn't help myself." She playfully slapped his arm. "You dare hit your teacher?" He decided to joke.

"I just did." She stuck her tongue out. "What are you doing to do about it?" Before he could say something the door flew open with a great force. They turned to see who it was…Leila and she didn't look happy.

Erik rose from the couch, afraid of what Leila might do. She wasn't ready for human encounters and knew she was dying for blood. He could see her eyes red as she stared at Christine as if she could see the blood flowing throughout her body. Christine stood up and started to walk to Leila. Erik quickly pulled her behind him, shielding her from Leila. She was curious to why Erik was shielding her, but didn't ask at the moment.

"Leila…what are you doing here?" He asked calmly.

"Nadir told me you were here…with her." She inhaled Christine's scent and sighed. "Miroase atât de bine, de ce păstrarea toată pentru tine? " She asked him. Christine looked at Erik, wondering what she had asked him. She could see him starting to tense up.

"Nu este așa." His voice was dark, scaring Christine a bit.

"Erik, what's going on?" She asked with fear in her voice. Leila stepped closer to him, making Christine cling to Erik, grasping his arm.

"Erik…I've missed you." She changed tactics. Slowly, she walked up to him till she was standing in front of him. "Come to me…" Leaning up, she placed a kiss on his lips. Christine looked away, not wanting to see. Erik pulled her away, leaving her confused. Her eyes were red now and noticed fangs. Quickly, she moved to grab Christine. Erik pushed Christine onto the couch and grabbed Leila, holding her back.

"Bedroom!" He yelled to her. "Now!" He barked. She got off the couch and ran upstairs to her room. Closing the door, she locked it and went to lock the windows as well. Her mind tried to understand what just happened. Why did Leila try to attack her? She had noticed Leila's eyes were a different color, almost like a red color. Her thinking stopped when she heard some yelling downstairs. Covering her ears, she tried to block out the yelling.

An hour passed and the yelling ceased. Christine was still locked in her room, waiting for Erik to return to tell her it was safe. She still was confused on what had happened and wanted to know what Leila's problem was. Soon a knock came to the door and she froze.

"Who is it?" She asked with a shaky voice.

"Erik." Sprinting to the door, she unlocked it and saw him standing there. Without thinking, she quickly hugged him, glad to see him. At first he was stunned that she was hugging him, but soon his arms wrapped around her. "It's alright." He comforted her. Pulling away, she walked over to her bed and sat down. "I'm so sorry about that, Leila can become extremely jealous sometimes. Although this the first time it's gotten that extreme."

"Why were her eyes like…red?" She asked him.

"Contacts." He answered quickly. "Are you going to be okay?" He asked her, walking closer to the bed until he sat down next to her.

"Yeah, just a little shaky right now, but I'll be fine. Thanks for…protecting me."

"You're welcome." His arm wrapped around her, making her lean into him. Her head rested on his shoulder. Looking up at him, her eyes locked with his. His hand came up to brush a stand away from her face. Soon his ears picked up the sound of Meg and her mom arriving home. He quickly pulled away and stood up just as the door opened and closed downstairs. "I should get going."

"Don't you want to stay for dinner?" She asked him, hoping he would.

"I probably should make sure Leila is alright." She looked down and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She looked back up to him. "I'll walk to down." She rose from the bed and they walked downstairs. Meg noticed them coming from upstairs and raised an eyebrow, curious to know why they were upstairs. Christine quickly said bye to him before he left and went to left with dinner. She didn't want to talk about the lesson, especially what happened when Erik's 'girlfriend' arrived and basically tried to attack her. No matter how much Meg begged to tell her, Christine wouldn't talk. That night, she stared out her window over at the castle that once again was glowing. Deciding to go to bed, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes.

_Romanian to English translation:_

_Bună ziua dor de Christine, ce mai faci? = Good afternoon Miss Christine, how are you_

_Nu noi nu suntem pentru că atunci voi alege ceva mult mai greu și nu veți place. Deci, ne vom lipi cu aceeași propoziție și că va fi ea pentru ziua de azi. Primeste? = No we are not because then I will pick something much harder and you'll not like it. So we'll stick with the same sentence and that will be it for today. Deal?"_

_Miroase atât de bine, de ce păstrarea toată pentru tine? = She smells so good, why are you keeping her all to yourself?_

_Nu este așa = It is not like that._

**Reviews are welcome :)**


	6. Tempted

**A/N: can't believe I updated so soon, guess that what happens when you have a two hour bus ride from NY. So basically this chapter is going to test Erik's craving for blood. Also now the story is getting M rated so just a warning to everyone. Also with the lovely 'curse' Erik has, he gets a special 'power' that will be revealed. So enjoy the chapter :)**

Chapter Six: Tempted

Erik stormed into the castle, furious with Leila. Entering the dining room, he went over to the table and lifted it up, throwing it at the wall. The noise shook the castle as he growled with fury. Running outside, he noticed the sun setting, but couldn't wait. He needed blood and he need it now. His eyes stained blood red as his fangs were ready to dig into the neck of a human.

"Ridică-te și întuneric afară evite lumina!" He yelled up to the sky. Soon the wind started to pick up, blowing hurricane winds. The forced moved the clouds to cover the sun, causing to it become darker closer. The hurricane winds blew across the land, making the darkness come faster. The villagers ran into their houses, knowing something was wrong. Once darkness set over the land, he sprinted into the village. He didn't care who was going to the victim, he just wanted blood. Soon he heard a werewolf howl and knew who it was. Within a few minutes a werewolf appeared just as Erik found a victim. Seeing the werewolf, he growled at the animal. The werewolf attacked Erik, trying to save the person from a bad death. Erik pushed the wolf off of him and saw his prey running away. "You'll pay for that!" He attacked the wolf and they two continued to fight. Soon the wolf pinned Erik on the ground, howling in victory. Suddenly the two smelled garlic and the wolf got off Erik to let him stand up. They looked in the direction of the smell and saw light coming towards them. Before being seen, they bolted back to the castle where it was safe. Once getting back, the wolf transformed into human as Erik tried to settle down. "Have I mention before how much I hate you?" Erik asked as he settled down.

"Several times, but I know you don't mean it. Erik what were you thinking going into the village when you're that mad?" Nadir asked him. "You have no control when you're angry and you could have caused how much damage. You could have killed Christine if I hadn't stopped you."

"I wouldn't have killed Christine, just that one kid that I could have almost gotten if you hadn't stopped me!" He barked at his friend. "What were you doing in the village anyway? You usually eat what I kill." He asked Nadir.

"Well the hurricane winds was a big hint on what was going to happen." He said. "I was in the village before you decided to have the weather cheat and noticed the winds so once everyone was safe inside their homes, I went to search for you. Now…" He sat on the couch and crossed his legs. "…what happened?" He asked.

"What happened? You told Leila where I was! She almost attacked Christine!" He yelled. "You know what that could have done?" He was furious with Leila and now also Nadir. "I can't keep coming up with lies to Christine, you know how limited I am with lies?" He asked.

"I'm sorry Erik, I didn't know Leila was actually going to go to the house to find you. I know she isn't ready for that. If you want, I can keep an eye on Leila while you're with Christine for your lessons." Nadir offered.

"Well at this point I don't know if they'll be any more lessons." Erik said as he calmed down a bit. "I need some air." He walked over to the door. Nadir jumped off the couch and sprinted to Erik, grabbing his arm.

"No you don't, you're too frustrated to get 'some air'. Could you settle the winds please?" He asked Erik.

"Odihnește-vânturile și pace peste pământul!" Erik shouted up and soon the howling winds outside settled down. Nadir thanked him and led him back over to the couch. Erik explained more of what happened to Nadir who listened closely. After explaining everything, he felt exhausted. Usually his power to control the weather drained him and he wanted to rest. Heading up into his bedroom, he saw Leila sitting on the bed. She quickly apologized about earlier, but Erik wasn't in the mood to forgive. He left his room and headed to the guest room where Leila sometimes slept and slept there that night.

The next morning, Christine woke up to the sound of people working outside her window. Getting out of bed, she walked over to the window and opened. Her eyes widen as the scene outside; it looked like a hurricane came through. Running downstairs, she saw Meg in the kitchen and asked what happened. She told Christine about the strange winds last night, but said not to worry about it since it is common nowadays. Relieved, Christine went back upstairs to shower. Removing her clothes before getting in, she noticed some blood. Groaning, she hopped into the shower. Coming out, she quickly grabbed a tampon from her bag in her room. After getting dressed, she came downstairs where Meg had finished breakfast. Christine passed and grabbed some Midol.

"Oh boy, that lovely time of the month again." Meg said as noticed. "Don't you love periods?" She joked.

"Oh yeah, absolutely love them." Christine rolled her eyes. Meg giggled and asked about Christine's plans for today. She hadn't thought about it, thinking she'd have another lesson with Erik. However after yesterday, it seemed like Erik was unsure to continue the lessons.

"I think I'm going to go into town and find Erik." She answered.

"Be careful." Meg called out as Christine headed for the door. The sun was shining over the land, making it hard to believe that hurricane winds came through during the night. As she walked down to the village, she noticed people cleaning up a few fallen trees. Arriving at the village, she decided to grab some tea to help with her cramps. Standing in line, she quickly pulled out her dictionary to find out what tea was in Romanian. When it came time to order, she tried to pronounce the word. The man however understand and got her a cup of tea. Thanking him in English, she went to sit down at a table outside in the sun.

"See you managed to survive breakfast." Smiling at the voice, she looked up to see Erik standing in front of her with the same mug in his hands. "Although tea is pretty easy to announce unlike coffee." She smiled at him. "May I sit?" She nodded and watched him sit down at the table.

"Did you hear those winds last night?" She asked, starting a conversation. "I was sound asleep, but from what I saw coming into the village, it looked bad."

"Uh yeah I heard them. They were pretty bad, but luckily nothing serious happened." He tried to cover up the fact that he caused the winds last night. Inhaling, his eyes widen a bit at the smell of blood. It was like someone was bleeding, but he couldn't see anyone bleeding. Shaking his head, he tried to block out the scent.

"Are we going to continue the lessons after yesterday?" She asked him. "I want to continue them."

"Me too." She smiled. "How about continue them tomorrow since I promised to spend most of the day with Leila?" He asked. She nodded, but secretly was sad. He went into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Here…" he handed it to her and she opened it. "Try to remember them for tomorrow's lesson and we'll over them tomorrow. They're the basic words to know. We'll take this slow so you won't get frustrated." She liked that idea of taking it slow, but wasn't sure if he meant the lessons or their friendship. He looked at his watch to see the time. "I should get going," She nodded and watching him leave. After finishing her tea, she decided to go back to the house and work on her homework that Erik assigned her for the rest of the day.

The next day, Christine wasn't in the greatest of moods. Whenever she got her period, she would get in really bad moods and usually took it out on her dad since her mom had passed away years ago. Her had understood and would just go along with it; always grateful when it was over though. However now she couldn't take it out on her dad, but Erik since Meg and her mom went into town again. She would try and not get too angry when with Erik today. She hoped that he would understand since he has Leila who she knows gets her period. When Erik arrived, Christine had finished making some lunch for herself. She offered some to Erik, but he politely refused. Her tea was finished, along with her lunch and they sat in the dining room so Christine could finish her lunch. Erik could smell the blood and wondered what it was; Christine wasn't bleeding nor was there a dead body lying around. But what really was the problem was that the scent was much stronger, tempting him. He hoped he could pull through today without losing control.

"Alright, you ready to begin?" He asked as she finished her sandwich that she made. She nodded and pushed the plate away to give more room in front of her. "Did you do your homework?" He asked. She nodded and went to grab the sheet of paper from her bedroom, along with her notebook from the first lesson. He started off testing her memory by showing her the Romanian word and asking for it in English. As they went through the words, he was impressed by her memory. But memorizing the word and what it means is only half of it, she also needs to said it correctly. Once they finished the memory test, he started to help announce each word. He figured they'd get into the grammar later one once she knows enough words.

"How am I doing?" She asked him as they took a small break.

"Better." He answered, making her smile. However, the smile disappeared when she felt pain in her lower abdomen. "You alright?" He asked her. He had noticed a few times the pain look on her face.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just have my period." She answered. He looked at her as if he had no idea what she meant. "You know what that is?" She asked. He shook his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Well…it's a cycle thing that females get once a month." She paused for a moment, figuring out how to explain it to him. "Basically it's getting our bodies ready for a baby. An egg is produced and is ready for sperm to help make a baby. But if there's no sperm, then the egg leaves the body which causes us to bleed." She explained to him. His eyes widen at the last word.

"Bleed as in blood?" He swallowed hard.

"Yes, blood leaving the body." She noticed his eyes widen and the panic look on his face. "Are you alright?" He nodded even though he was far from alright. "Ok well I'm going to use the restroom, I'll be right back." He nodded once more and she rose from the chair to walk over to the bathroom.

"Oh god…." He panicked. He didn't know it was Christine was the one who was bleeding. She said that everyone female goes through it, but he went had to deal with it when he met Leila. Well he had changed her just days after meeting her so that's why she never got her period. Now he was worried because if he loses control, he could kill Christine easily.

Soon the door of the bathroom opened and he inhaled the smell of blood. Her secent already drove him crazy, but this was just plain torture. He didn't want to kill her, but her smell was so tempting that he wanted a taste. He felt like a kid in a candy store, but wasn't allowed to buy anything.

"Erik, are you sure you're okday?" Her voice brought him from his thoughts. He looked at her and only nodded. "Ok well you seem a little…not yourself."

"I'm fine, really I am." He lied. "Where were we?" He asked her. She sat down and they resumed their lesson. He tried to stay focus on the lesson and not the idea of blood. A few times, he would have to look away due to his eyes redden, but managed to change them back. At one time he had to excuse himself to pretend to go to the bathroom when he really had to calm himself down so that his fangs wouldn't grow. Soon dinner arrived and the lesson ended. Annette and Meg walked into the kitchen to start dinner. Once again Christine asked Erik if he would like to stay for dinner, but once again he refused. He lied and said that Leila was planning on making something even though he usually is the one who gets dinner. Before leaving, they planned another lesson tomorrow, same time, but Erik decided to have it at the café in the village. Agreeing, Christine said good-bye to him and helped cook dinner with Meg while Annette finished up some work.

Erik arrived at his castle just as the sun was setting. Leila was in the living room, reading a Twilight book when he came in. He walked over to the couch and sat on it, sighing. He didn't feel like going out to find dinner that night, more tired than thirsty. But he knew Leila was thirsty and didn't want to have to use the supply of blood he had. He called up Nadir and had him grab dinner for them. Like a good friend, Nadir arrived several minutes later with dinner. Erik let Leila have more of the blood since he wasn't that thirsty. Once the body was bloodless, Nadir was allowed to finish up. Later that night, Erik walked over to Leila's room where she was reading more of her book. She had noticed something was up with him, but didn't know. But she knew that if Erik wasn't in the mood to share, then it was pointless to ask. She watched as he walked over to the bed and sat down on it. He removed his shirt and threw it on the ground. Her eyes caught the muscles of his chest. He quickly took off his shoes and socks before standing and unbuckling his belt. He pushed his pants down and stepped out of them. Left in his boxers, he looked at her with sinful eyes. Seeing that look and knowing she felt the same way, she set her book down and walked over to him, kissing him hungrily on the lips. Her hands entwined in his hair as his hands ripped the fabric of her shirt. Her clothes were removed within seconds. She laid back on the bed as he quickly removed his boxers, leaving his body naked. Her eyes scanned his form and smiled, loving the fact that he was hers. Joining her back onto the bed, his body covered hers as her legs parted for him. His body quickly joined hers as his lips claimed hers. His pace was quick and hard, but she loved it. His hands gripped the headboard as he thrust into her. Their cries of release echoed throughout the castle, mixing with the howls of wolves in the darkness.

Christine bolted up from her bed, her body covered in sweat from her steamy dream that she had. She quickly made sure she had clothes on and sighed in relief. Looking at her clock, she noticed she was late for her lesson. Rushing around her room, she decided to forget about the shower and just head to the café to meet Erik. As she raced to the village, she hoped that he wouldn't be mad at her for being late. Arriving at the café, she didn't see him anyway. She thought for a moment that she was actually early which she hoped. Ordering tea, she went to sit down at the table they've been sitting at lately. A few minutes passed when Erik finally arrived. She noticed how his hair was neatly sleeked back, but messy like he just woke up. He didn't wear a nice shirt with jeans but sweatpants with a tank. Her eyes noticed how toned his arms were, like he's been working out his whole life. He rubbed his tired eyes as he sat down in the chair.

"You sure you want have the lesson this early? We could have it later if you want." She asked him.

"No it's ok, just a late night with Leila." She nodded. "Ok so the reason I decided to have the lesson here is because we're going to work on food and drinks today.; and what better place than the café since we have a habit of coming here a lot now." He rose from the chair and went to grab one of the menus they offered. Returning to the table, they began the lesson. He taught her how to say the drinks and foo that was offered at the cafe. At one point, he had her order a few things to see how she was doing. The guy had a little trouble understanding her, but knew she was trying her hardest. Erik taught her more words that she'd need if she was planning on going to the market for food. Hours soon passed and Christine's brain was fried. Erik decided to end for the day since he was getting more tired from his lack of sleep last night. They agreed to continue the lessons, but called it a day. Erik left without a good-bye and rushed back to the castle, leaving Christine confused. She had begun to wonder why he was acting so strange lately. She recalled how warm he was and then suddenly turned cold. She wondered if something happened between him and Leila, but erased the image of them together. Deciding not to worry about it, she headed back to the house to spend some time with Meg. When she headed for her room that night, she noticed a note on her bed. Walking over, she opened it and read it. A smile came to face and she knew that things would be alright between them.

Romanian to English translation:

_Ridică-te și întuneric afară evite lumina = Rise up darkness and shun out the light!_

_Rest winds and peace over the land! = Odihnește-vânturile și pace peste pământul_

**Rewiews are welcome :)**


	7. Musical Vampire

**A/N: sorry for the wait, but here it is. Someone had wondered if vampires die from garlic...they don't. Garlic is used to keep vampires away, like a repellent to keep the bugs away. There's only one way to kill a vampire and that will be shown later on in the story and yes a vampire will die at the end of the story, but I'm not revealing who. Also Erik is not using Leila. Like I said before, vampires can't love but they are said to very sensual/sexual. So Erik isn't using Leila, it's just how vampires are. Ok I think that's enough about vampire, if anyone has more questions about vampire, just ask and I'll answer them.**

**I hope you're enjoy this story and a quick thanks to everyone reading and reviewing, I really appreicate it :)**

Chapter Seven: Musical Vampire

The castle sat quietly on the hill during the warm summer day. The curtains were opened to let the light inside the dark castle. No human roamed around the long hallways. Leila sat in the drawing room, reading a book and listening to the quietness. She enjoyed the last few days since Erik stayed with her instead of going to lessons with Christine. Although she knew it was going to Change now that Christine was over her period, but she still was glad to get some alone time with him. Soon her ears picked up a soft melody; a piano playing. Knowing who was playing it, she got up to follow the sound. As she walked down the hallways, the music grew louder. Soon she stood outside Erik's music room that he kept for himself. She knew he didn't like to be disturbed while he played, so she sat down outside the door and listened. The music filled her ears, making her eyes close as it filled her. For hours he played his music and for hours, she sat outside the room, listening to the music as it filled the castle.

Christine walked around the village, looking at all the little shops that were there. Her eyes spotted a little music store and had to stop by to look at it. The store was filled with instruments, blank music sheets, several rows of CDs and a few equipment pieces. She walked over to the piano on display and sat down on the bench. Opening the lid, her fingers rested on the keys. They began to play a melody that she remembered her mom playing when she was young. She closed her eyes as she continued to play the song.

"You a musician?" She stopped to turn around to see the store owner standing there.

"You speak English?" She randomly asked; he nodded. "And I guess you could say that. My parents were though; my mom played the piano and my father played the violin." She answered. "She taught me how to play before she died."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine." Christine assured him. "I'm sorry if I'm no supposed to be playing it." She rose from the bench.

"No it's alright, you played very nice." She smiled at him. "I could use some help around here, would you be willing to work here?" He asked her.

"Woke here?" She asked. "I'd love to, but I'm only here on vacation. Although I'd work here for free."

"How about work for play?" He offered. She'd agreed and would start the next day. She'd work on weekdays with weekends and holidays off. Thanking him, she ran out to go tell Meg. Rounding the corner, she bumped into a person and fell to the ground. Looking up, she saw Erik standing there.

"Erik!" She shot up, surprising him. He noticed how excited and happy she was. "You know we should stop meeting like this." He chuckled.

"Then how shall we meet?" He asked with a smile. Taking her hand, he brought it up to his lips. "Like this?" He placed a kiss on her hand, making her blush.

"I prefer that greeting." She tried to settle her blush. Taking his hand, she led him to the café. Coming up to the counter, she ordered a cup of coffee without trouble. Erik was impressed and pleased that she had be practicing. They walked over to a table and sat down.

"I'm impressed." She smiled.

"Thank you, I've been practicing with Meg all week. Oh I have some news." He listened. "I got a job."

"You did?" She nodded.

"Well it's not really a playing job as in money."

"Where is it?" He asked.

"The music store. I went there and was playing the piano that was on display. The owner heard me play and offered me a job. However, since I'm here on vacation, I couldn't get paid. So he offered that if I worked, I could play the piano or any other instrument in the store." She explained. "I work on weekdays, but that means we can't have our lessons."

"We can have them on weekends." He suggested. "And now this gives me a reason to visit that store more." Her smile grew.

"Good." She sipped her coffee. She talked to him for a few hours, talking about what he has been doing the pass week. She had gotten another coffee while they continued to talk. He had asked her to speak some words in Romanian to see how well she had gotten. It was coming on four in the afternoon when they parted. He promised to stop by sometime this week at the music store. Saying good-bye, she walked to the house to tell Meg about her summer work. Of course, Meg was excited for Christine and wished her luck. Christine even called her dad to tell him, but still left out information about Erik.

The next day, Christine woke up early and quickly got dressed. She made sure to look nice for her first day at the store. Her hair was pulled halfback while she put on little makeup. Coming downstairs, Annette had made breakfast for her. After breakfast, she grabbed her mug of coffee and headed into the village. Arriving at the music store, she greeted the owner and helped him set up to open. He told her that she'd be helping with costumers that want to buy an instrument, along with cashier. Handing her a polo shirt with the store's logo on it. She helped with cleaning the instruments, organizing them and answering any questions dealing with them. Around lunchtime, Meg stopped by to visit for a bit. After lunch, Christine continued to work until closing. For the rest of the week, she worked at the music store and loved it. Even though she wasn't getting paid, she loved being around music. That Friday, she was looking over some orders of new instruments when someone entered the store. Looking to see who it was, a big smile came to her face.

"Erik…" He walked up to her with a coffee mug in his hand.

"Annette said you might need this." He handed the mug to her. "So how's work?" He asked, leaning on the counter.

"Great, I love it." She answered and took a sip of her coffee. The owner came out and saw Erik.

"Erik, what brings you here?" He asked as he walked up to the masked man. "Haven't seen you here in a few months."

"Been busy." He answered.

"You two know each other?" Christine asked.

"Erik use to come into this tore for years, always buying music sheets and instruments." He answered. "You know Erik?" He asked Christine.  
"Erik is teaching me Romanian." She answered.

"Oh good." He let out a sigh of relief. "For a moment there, I thought you left Leila and was looking for a new woman." He patted Erik's back. "Speaking of Leila how is she?"

"She's good." He answered nervously.

"Good, glad to here. I'm glad she found someone like you." He looked at Christine. "She was always interested in bad boys."

"Still is..." Erik said to himself.

"When's the engagement going to be?" He asked. "I mean it's been a while." Christine wished she could leave, not wanting to hear about this.

"Don't know yet."

"Well maybe one day." Erik only nodded. The owner walked away, leaving the two alone.

"So…you're a music man." Christine asked.

"Guess you could say that, but yes I do love music."

"Do you play or sing?"

"Both."

"Both?" He nodded. "Can I hear you play sometime?" She asked him.

"Tomorrow." He answered. "I know Annette has a piano and we can use it."

"I remember seeing it; it's very pretty."

"You should see mine."

"You own a piano?" She asked, her face lighting up.

"More like an organ than a piano, but yes I do."

"Will I ever see this organ of yours?" She asked him. She had always wanted to see where he lives, always hinting him to either tell her more about his home or actually take her that.

"Maybe one day." That was always his answer and it started to annoy Christine. "I should let you get back to work."

"Ok I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow." He nodded and started heading out the door. Christine watched him leave before returning to whatever she was doing before he came in. She couldn't wait till tomorrow to hear Erik play the piano. She had no idea that he played or sung at all and was very happy when she found out. Once it came time for closing, she said good night to the owner and headed home. She didn't sleep much that night, too excited of tomorrow's lesson.

The next day, she woke up and immediately realized how late it was in the day. It was already after noon and she knew Erik was would be over soon. Rushing around, she quickly put on clothes and pulled her hair into a pony tail. After washing up, she ran downstairs and Erik was already sitting in the living room. He looked up at her and chuckled, knowing she just got out of bed from all the sounds he could hear.

"I'm sorry, I usually don't oversleep." She walked over to him by the couch.

"Relax Christine." He stood up, towering over her once more. "You've been working all week; you deserve to sleep in a bit. I was here early anyway to talk to Annette and Meg."

"Oh…well then…um shall we begin?" She asked. He nodded and they ventured to the room where the piano was sitting. Erik sat down on the bench and began to tune it, making sure all the keys played perfect. Christine stood in the doorway and watched. Once he was satisfied, he began to play a song. His fingers danced across the keys, playing a beautiful melody.

_"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation_

_Darkness stirs and wakes imagination_

_Silently the senses abandon their defenses…"_

Christine's mouth dropped at the sound of his voice singing one of her favorite songs. His voice was so beautiful…she really had no other word to describe how his voice was.

_"Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor_

_Grasp it; sense it, tremulous and tender_

_Turn your face away from the garish light of day_

_Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light_

_And listen to the music of the night_  
_Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams…"_

Her eyes gently closed as he continued to sing.

_"Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before_

_Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar_

_And you live as you've never lived before_  
_Softly, deftly, music shall caress you_

_Hear it, feel it secretly possess you_

_Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind_

_In this darkness that you know you cannot fight_

_The darkness of the music of the night_  
_Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world_

_Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before_

_Let your soul take you where you long to be…"_

His voice soured and filled the room.

_"Only then can you belong to me_  
_Floating, falling, sweet intoxication_

_Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation_

_Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in_

_To the power of the music that I write_

_The power of the music of the night_  
_You alone can make my song take flight_

_Help me make the music of the night"_

He finished his song. His fingers still rested on the silent keys. Christine stayed in her spot the whole time, unable to move or speak. Finally he turned around to see her standing there, mouth opened. A chuckle came out of his mouth as he stood up and walked over to her. Placing a hand under her chin, he gently closed her mouth.

"You sang one of my favorite songs."

"You love Music of the Night?" She nodded. "I too love that song, play it often on my organ. You're a Phantom of the Opera fan?"

"Of course, that's a stupid question to ask. It's my favorite book, musical and I love Gerard Butler in, although Ramin is my absolute favorite overall. Actually you look a bit like them both, well more on the Ramin side…" He listened as she ranted on, a bit clueless on who the two men that she mentioned. "…I mean besides the eyes which are very gorgeous to look at, you could pull off either one of them."

"You think my eyes are gorgeous?" He asked.

"Really? Out of that whole rant, you only picked up that?" She asked, making him nod.

"Well I'm not familiar with Gerard and Ramin. The only person I've ever listened to was Michael Crawford." He decided to leave out that part of actually seeing Michael perform as the Phantom since it would make questions coming flying since that was years ago and he's supposed to be in twenty's.

"Ok well Gerard was the Phantom in the 2004 version of the movie and was super sexy in it, loved him. He was favorite until Ramin came along and then became my second. Ramin performed Phantom in the West End, you know it?" He nodded. "Well he was Phantom for a bit and then played in Love Never Dies which was the squeal to Phantom of the Opera. I was able to see it and it was amazing. But sadly the show closed and then he played Les Miserable for a bit before doing Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary in London with Sierra Boggess. I wish I had seen it but sadly I don't live in London. So after that, he went on tour for his album which I own and I got to see him." She had big smile on her face. "Then he surprised people when coming to perform at the anniversary gala performance for Phantom on Broadway. I screamed so much when he came out I swear my dad couldn't hear afterwards. It was so cool and even John Owen Jones was there, my third favorite."

"Wow you know a lot of Ramin and Phantom of the Opera."

"You have no idea."

"I have some idea after everything you just told me. You're quite the fan. So since you're a big fan, why don't you sing something from the show?"

"Me sing?" she shook her head. "I don't sing."

"You heard me sing; now it's your turn."

"But after a performance like that, how am I to compare?" She asked. He didn't answer but walked over to the piano and sat down. She walked over to stand next to him, wondering what he would play. He soon began to play a song she knew too well.

_"Think of me, think of me fondly_

_When we've said goodbye_

_Remember me once in a while_

_Please promise me, you'll try…"_

Her voice softly sang the words. Now it was his turn to be speechless. Her voice was so angelic, so beautiful to listen to. He actually found it hard to focus on playing while she sang. He actually messed up a note, but continued to try and play. Once she finished, he looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Brava, Brava, bravisma…" He softly sang, making her smile.

"You think so?"

"I know so; Sierra Boggess would have to fight for the role against you." Her cheeks blushed.

"Can we sing a duet please?" She asked.

"Of course, what song would you like to sing?" He asked her. She thought for a moment before picking the song she wanted.

"Past the Point of No Return." She answered. Nodding, he turned back to the piano and began to play the song she requested.

"_Past the point of no return, no backward glances_

_The games we played 'til now are at an end_

_Past all thought of 'If' or 'When', no use resisting_

_Abandon thought and let the dream descend…"_

He stopped playing and stood up. Christine wondered what he was doing since he wasn't playing the piano.

_"What raging fire shall flood the soul?"_

He came up behind her, his hand wrapped around her throat while his other rested on her stomach. A slight gasp came out of her mouth as his action. His hands began to travel towards her hand as he stepped to the side.

_"What rich desire unlocks its door?_

_What sweet seduction lies before us?_

_Past the point of no return, the final threshold_

_What warm unspoken secrets will we learn?_

_Beyond the point of no return"_

He released her hand, letting it fall back to her side. Her body was still reacting to his touch, completely unprepared for that. She looked into his eyes, seeing desire he sang of.

_"You have brought me to that moment where words run dry_

_To that moment where speech disappears into silence, silence_

_I have come here hardly knowing the reason why_

_In my mind I've already imagined our bodies entwining…"_

Her eyes closed as the images of their bodies entwining filled her mind. She quickly shook those images out of her head.

_"Defenseless and silent and now I am here with you_

_No second thoughts, I've decided, decided._

_Past the point of no return, no going back now_

_Our passion play has now at last begun_

_Past all thought of right or wrong, one final question_

_How long should we two wait before we're one?_  
_When will the blood begin to race?_

_The sleeping bud burst into bloom?_

_When will the flames at last consume us?"_

Desire filled her eyes as she sang to him. She felt her body wanting him and it scared her. She didn't know much about him and yet was drawn to him.

_"Past the point of no return, the final threshold_

_The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn…"_

Their voice came together, blending beautifully. Erik took her hands and spun her around. Her back was pressed against his body, his hands entwined with hers as they rested on her stomach. His hand moved hers up towards her neck.

_"We've passed the point of no return"_

Christine felt his breath on the back of her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine. She knew her heart was racing inside her chest. His hand brushed aside her hair, showing the curve of her neck. Her mouth let out a soft moan as his lips kissed her neck. She could feel a strange feeling pooling between her legs. Suddenly Erik pulled back and turned around.

"Erik, are you alright?" She asked him. His back was towards her, so she couldn't see his face. She couldn't see how red his eyes were nor the fangs that had grown. "Erik?" He knew he had to get away, afraid he'd attack her. Seeing the doorway clear, he bolted for it. She ran after him, but lost him once she made it to the doorway of the house. He didn't stop till he reached the castle. He fell to his knees at the entrance and let out a roar, making it echo throughout the area.

Several minutes later, Nadir came sprinting up after hearing the loud roar that had scared him a bit. Erik was still where he was, didn't move since. He noticed how upset his friend was and wondered what had happened.

"Erik what happened?" He asked.

"I almost killed her…"

"Who?"

"Christine..." He answered, still looking down at the ground. "We were singing and I got so lost in the words and her that I let myself..."

"What did you do?" Nadir asked him. Erik stood up and looked at her friend.

"I let myself get lost in a dream and almost killed her."

**I'm sure you guys know the songs that were sung so I don't need to tell you. A quick sorry if there's any errors, I'm not that good with grammer.**

**Reviews are welcome, love hearing what you guys think of this story :)**


	8. Jealous

**A/N: hey guys, I know this chaper is really short but I was having writer's block for a few days so I decided to keep it short but will make the next one longer. Quick thanks to everyone who reads and reveiws and a quick apologizes if there are any errors**

Chapter Eight: Jealous

"Relax Erik; just tell me everything that happened." Nadir said as he watched Erik pace the room. After Nadir convinced Erik to head inside, he has been pacing the room nonstop. "Erik what happened that made you change? You usually can control it and after years of being a vampire, you should be able to control it better than maybe Dracula himself." He asked once more. Erik finally stopped pacing and looked at Nadir before sighing.

"Well I went to visit her at her new job since I promised her and we got into the topic of music. I agreed to play a song for her at the Giry's, not wanting to bring her here for many reasons. So I went over to the Girys and played Music of the Night which is one of her favorite songs. She is a big fan of Phantom of the Opera and went ranting off about it, along with Ramin and Gerry who I apparently look it. Anyway I had her sing a song and then she asked to sing a duet, Past the Point of No Return."

"Oh that's a very passionate song. Sorry continue please."

"Well we started singing and before I knew it…

_**Erik's hands grabbed hers and spun her around, pressing her back up to his front as his fingers entwined with hers. His mouth just centimeters from the skin of her neck as their song ended. His nosed was filled with her scent as he haled deeply the sweet smell. His hand brushed hers against her body as he moved it up towards her neck. Letting go of her hand, his hand brushed away her hair from her neck, allowing him access to her neck. Leaning in, his lips softly kissed her soft skin as he heard a slight moan escape from her lips. He could feel her body start to shake as his hand held her up against him. Suddenly he felt a jolt in his body and opened his eyes to see his world turning red. His ears picked up the flow of blood while his nose once again inhaled the scent of her blood. He could feel his teeth turning into fangs and quickly pulled away from her, turning around to face the window. He heard her voice call his name as his fangs grew sharp and ready to kill. His mouth craved for blood and he knew he had to get out of here…**_

"…then I just ran out and up to here." Nadir listened the whole Erik talked, thinking of what might be going on. Once Erik finished his story, he sat down on the chair and looked at his friend. "What am I going to do?" He asked.

"May I give my opinion?" Nadir asked.

"You always do, even when I say no." Erik answered.

"Well after what I just heard, it sounds like you're developing feelings for her."

"That's impossible; you know vampires don't have feelings. We're cold creatures, we feed on human blood, and we're incapable of love."

"I don't think that's true. You have Leila."

"That's a different story; it's not a love story. Besides vampire can't love other vampires."

"They can still love. Look at your dad, he found love." Nadir pointed out.

"Yes and it almost killed him. He had how many men after him because of Mina."

"He still found love and maybe Christine is the one for you. Erik why can't you accept the fact that you can love?" He asked his friend.

"Because I'm a monster!" He yelled out. "I kill people without remorse to drink their blood and then give them to you to eat. I hunt down humans every night and prey on them. I'm Death itself and I have a whole village wanting me dead." He answered. He took a moment before continuing. "She is so pure and innocent while I'm…unclean. I couldn't take away that from her." He looked down at the ground again. He didn't noticed Leila was standing outside the door, listening to their conversation. Her heart sank as she listened, suddenly feeling betrayed. She forced herself away from the door and walked down the hallway.

As she walked, the image of Erik and Christine filled her mind and she soon became angry. She knew this Christine would be trouble, but always thought Erik would keep his distance from her and not let her too close. Now she realizes that she was wrong. She finally came to her room and slammed the door with extreme force that the bang created a small creak on the siding and the sound was heard throughout the castle.

"Break something and you'll pay for it!" She heard Erik yell out to her, but she ignored him. She was so mad at him that she didn't care about his wrath. She paced the room, thinking of what to do.

"I need to do something that will make Christine stay away from Erik." She told herself. She began to wonder what would keep Christine away…then it came to her. "If Christine would realize that Erik was really a vampire, then she'd be so scared that she'd never want to speak to him again. But how am I going to reveal his secret to her." She knew Erik wouldn't allow her in the village or even near Christine after what happened before. "If I can't do it…maybe Erik can do it himself…"

**Oooo somebody is jealous, somebody is jealous...ok sorry had to do that. Hope you're enjoying the story Reviews are welcome :)**


	9. Dinner with a Vampire

**A/N: so since last chapter was short, here's another chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying this story.**

**Want to quickly apologizes if this story seems a bit boring at times. I am juggling this story with another one on here (White Mask), along with college classes, two jobs and also graduation in two months so my schedule is very busy right now. I am trying to make this story enjoyable (if that's even a word) and I am sorry if it's not, but I am trying and also if there are any errors like spelling or punctuation, I'm sorry. English isn't my first langauge so I'm still learn it. **

**Ok enough from me, enjoy this chapter and I'll try to update soon.**

Chapter Nine: Dinner with a Vampire

"Just ask him Christine, what's the worst thing that can happen?" Meg asked her as they sat outside. The sun was shining down on them, warming their bodies up. She had been constantly asking Christine to invite Erik over for dinner for a whole day now.

"He says no; that's the worst thing that can happen." Christine answered as she lay back on the towel that was covering the grass.

"You'll never know if you don't try. Come on Christine, you're only here for the summer before you go back to America and start college. Have some fun while you're here and Erik is definitely fun." Christine's cheeks blushed at the thought. "Looks like someone wants fun too." Meg giggled. Christine hadn't told Meg what happened during Erik's last visit. "You're hiding something."

"How do you know?" Christine asked.

"It's all over your face; so spill." She knew Meg wouldn't let her go of this.

"Well when Erik was here, we…well he…"

"He what?"

"You know how in the 2004 version of Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom spins Christine around during Past the Point of No Return?" Christine asked.

"Yeah, love that scene."

"Well that's what Erik did to me yesterday and then he was kissing my neck."

"Oh my god…"

"Oh my god is right; you don't know the half of it. It was so steamy and passionate; I mean you should have seen his eyes while he sang. And his voice was unbelievable."

"If that's just how you guys are when you're singing, I don't want to know what it will be like if you guys actually slept together."

"We're just friends Meg, not lovers. And besides, he is with Leila."

"And that's stopping you?" Meg scoffed. "Seriously Christine, I know you're dying to have him all to yourself and who wouldn't want Erik?"

"I am not sleeping with him."

"Fine; then I guess you'll never know what passion really is." Christine rolled her eyes. "Look I'm just saying that you two should see where this relationship takes. I don't want to see you end up along with how many cats." Christine giggled at Meg.

"I won't end up alone, I'm sure I'll fine someone someday."

"Alright, but seriously just invite him over for dinner as a thank you for everything that's he's done for you."

"Fine I will, if it will make you happy." Meg smiled in victory. Christine continued to lay back and take in the sun's warmth. She continued to think about what happened yesterday and wondered why Erik ran out. She thought that it was because he realized that he was already with someone and wasn't going to cheat on her. Shaking her head, she pushed all thoughts of him out of her mind.

Meanwhile down in the village, Erik was walking around with Nadir. They had been searching for something to get Leila as a birthday present since it was her birthday today. Even though she was going to be the same age forever, he knew he should get something at least. They headed into a small bookstore and looked around at the selection. Nadir spotted the Twilight books and knew she loved the series.

"Which books does she already own?" Nadir asked Erik as he pointed to the books.

"The first two." He answered. Nadir grabbed the third book and handed it to Erik. "Do I seriously have to buy it?" He asked.

"She loves them and yes I know it's wounding your…'vampire-self'…" He whispered the last two words so no one would here. "…but it's her birthday. It's better than buying something from Victoria's Secret." Erik winced at the thought. "My point exactly."

"Thank god there isn't a store here in Romania. I think the closest one is in England."

"You would know that."

"What? She orders that catalogs."

"Then why don't you get something for her from it?" Nadir asked him as they walked up to the desk to pay.

"Because I don't know what she wants." He pulled out his wallet to pay. "I don't look through the catalog." The person told Erik the amount and he took out the money to pay.

"So if you were with Christine, you wouldn't buy her something from Victoria's Secret for her birthday?" He asked.

"How did this turn to Christine now?" Erik handed the guy the money and waited for change.

"I'm just saying that I think there's something between you two. I mean you bought her coffee several times already."

"Leila hates coffee." Erik took the change and thanked the guy before the two of them headed out the store. "You know we can't drink coffee."

"Coffee isn't the point here." They walked out of the store.

"Then what is the point?" Erik asked as he stopped walking and turned to face Nadir.

"My point is that you're doing more human stuff with Christine then with Leila."

"Well considering that Christine is a human and Leila is a vampire, I can see why. I wouldn't do vampire things with Christine or human stuff with Leila. But you do have a point there. Now if we can drop the subject because I need to-" He turned to look out on the street. "-oh rahat!"

"What?" Nadir turns his head and sees Christine walking towards them. Smiling, he patted Erik's shoulder.

"Erik didn't think I'd see you here around this time." She greeted him with a smile.

"Hey Christine…" Nadir elbowed him in the ribs, making him grunt. "Christine this is Nadir." Erik introduced her to his friend.

"Please to meet you." She held out her hand. Taking her hand, she noticed how hot his hand was. Her mind wondered why Erik's hands were always cold with Nadir's were hot.

"Pleasure is all mine, Erik has told me much about you." This time Erik elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow…"

"Payback." Christine hid her giggled. "What brings you here?" He asked her.

"Annette sent me out on an errand." She looked at the bag in Erik's hand. "What's in the bag?" She asked him.

"Oh well its-"

"It's mine; Erik was just holding it for me." Nadir took the bag from Erik as he got the confused look from him.

"Ok…oh Erik I was wondering if you would like to come over for dinner tonight?" She asked him. She hoped that he couldn't tell how nervous she was asking him this, but he could tell by the rate of her heart.

"Dinner as in food?" He asked, trying not to panic.

"Yes as in food." He swallowed hard.

"Erik would be delighted to come." Nadir answered before Erik could. He shot his friend a death look.

"Excuse us for a moment please." Erik grabbed Nadir's arm and pulled him aside. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" He asked with anger in his voice. If there weren't people around, he would attack Nadir now but he couldn't.

"Giving you a chance to act human for once in who knows how many years."

"I can't eat food."

"Just pretend to; do it for Christine."

"I can't just blow off Leila's birthday like that."

"I'll take your place." Nadir stated. "Now that's it settled, go over and make conversation with her." Nadir pushed Erik back towards Christine who was still standing where she was.

"He's an interesting guy, your friend." Christine said to Erik.

"Yes he is, very interesting…" He looked behind his shoulder back at Nadir. "…and also very dead." He said to himself before turning his head back to look at Christine. "Would you like help with your errand?" Erik offered.

"That'd be great, thank you." She smiled and showed Erik the list of things that Annette wanted. After reading the list, Erik led her over to the market for the items. Coming up to the market, Erik quickly looked at the list once more to see what they needed.

"May I ask what this food is for?" He asked her as they walked towards the bread.

"Dinner tonight." Christine answered as she looked at the selection of bread. "Wow, lots of bread."

"European thing." He grabbed a loaf of bread that was on the list. "We love out bread."

"I can tell, good thing I love bread as well." He smiled at her as they continued down the market.

"You'll fit in with us perfectly." He picked up some fruit before they headed over towards the meat selection. "You a meat person?" He asked her as he talked to the butcher.

"Yes love it, although I can't stand it when it's cooked all the way done. It's too dry then, so I prefer rare; needs to be red and juicy."

"You know people would think that you're a vampire if you order your meat rare?"

"Well they can say what they like; I don't care what they think about my choice in how my meat is cooked. But I'm sure you would agree."

"Yes I would…" He had no other choice but to agree. "Alright now I believe we got everything on the list, is there any that I'm missing?" He asked her. She looked at the list and shook her head. "Well how about I come over now with you and we can talk before dinner?" He suggested.

"Will you sing again?" She asked him, hoping he would. She loved his voice and couldn't get it out of her head. "Please Erik…" He sighed and agreed, knowing it would be a challenge. After Erik paid for the food, he walked with her back to the Giry's with the bags of food that Annette wanted.

After he helped put the food away, Christine walked with him over to the room where the piano was still sitting. Christine walked over to the bench and sat down, opening the lid to show the keys. Her fingers gently pressed down on the keys, making the music softly play. Erik leaned against the door frame of the room as he watched Christine play a soft melody. He soon realized it was a song from _Les Miserables _and slightly smiled at her choice of song.

"_A heart full of love _

_A heart full of song_

_I'm doing everything all wrong _

_Oh God, for shame _

_I do not even know your name _

_Dear Mademoiselle _

_Won't you say? _

_Will you tell?"_

He softly sang the song as he walked up to the piano and stood next to it. Christine smiled as she looked up to him, no longer playing the song.

"_A heart full of love _

_No fear, no regret"_

"_My name is Marius Pontmercy" _

He bowed her, making her giggle a bit.

"_And mine's Cosette"_

She bowed her head a bit, still keeping her smile.

"_Cosette, I don't know what to say."_

"_Then make no sound"_

"_I am lost"_

"_I am found"_

They continued to sing the song while not realizing Meg was standing in the doorway, listening and watching. She had heard the piano and wondered who was playing it. She didn't realize that Erik and Christine would be singing, but couldn't help but listen as their voices sang of love. Once the song was finished, she cleared her throat, making them turn their heads to the doorway. She informed them that dinner was read and left. Erik walked with Christine into the dining room where the food was sitting.

His eyes stared at the food in front of him. He had no idea what to do; he couldn't just sit there while they eat and he didn't. He knew it would draw questions that he didn't want to answer. His eyes ventured over to Christine who was cutting her chicken and taking a bit out of it. Returning to his plate, he decided to give it a try. Taking the fork and knife in his hands, he began to cut his chicken. Bringing the piece up to his mouth, he began to chew on it. He forced his mouth to chew on it, not wanting to spit it out and be rude to them. His taste buds were literally hating him right now. Now he knew why vampires only drank blood and didn't try eating human food, it was terrible.

"How do you like the chicken?" Christine asked Erik, looking at him. He forced a swallow and looked at her.

"Very good." He lied. Christine smiled at him and returned to eating her chicken. Taking another piece of the chicken, he hoped that the dinner would end quickly so he wouldn't have to eat another thing. "How are you enjoying your job?" He asked her, trying to take his mind of the food.

"I love it now that he has actually given me a little more free time since its summer and school isn't in session. There's a new violin that has just arrived and it's beautiful." She answered.

"You should buy it." Meg suggested.

"I don't have that much money, it's so expensive. Trust me, if I had the money, I would so buy it." Erik came up with an idea and decided to pay a visit to the music store tomorrow if he survived this dinner.

"Well maybe you'll get it as a gift." She hinted towards Erik who was already way ahead of her.

"Doubt it."

"Never doubt anything Christine." Erik told her. "Anything is possible."

"Listen to him, he knows best." Meg pointed to Erik while talking to Christine. Erik decided to take big bits of the chicken to hurry up the meal. Christine noticed how big the sizes were becoming and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm hungry." And he was hungry…hungry for blood. He couldn't wait to drink some blood; he was craving it after eating the chicken. Soon he finished the chicken and pushed his plate forward after eating the rest of the food on it. Patting his belly, he made Christine and Meg giggle like school girls.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the chicken and were able to come over." Annette said to Erik.

"Thank you Madame." He quickly looked at the clock to see the time and knew Leila would be hungry for blood and so would Nadir. "Unfortunately I must be going. Thank you for dinner." He rose from his seat.

"I'll walk you out." Christine rose as well and led him to the door of the house. "Thank you Erik, for coming." She thanked him as they stood just outside the door.

"Thank you for inviting me." He took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips, placing a kiss on it. "Until next time." Her cheeks blushed again, making him smile. Releasing her hand, he stepped back and turned to walk away. Christine watched as he walked further away from the house. At one point, he stopped and turned to look back. His eyes met with hers and he could feel his cold heart beat faster. Once he was out of sight, she went back inside to help Annette and Meg clean up before retiring for the evening. Just before she climbed into bed, she stood by the window and looked out onto the night. She could hear a wolf howl and the wind blew against her face. She decided to leave the window open tonight and went over to climb into bed. Her ears still heard the wolf howling, but to her it was music to her ears. Closing her eyes, she let sleep come her to.

**Reveiws are welcome :)**


	10. Please Don't Make Me Love You

**A/N: ok here's the next chapter of the story. Warning: it's basically Christine's thoughts so it's gonna be a little shorter. Hope you're enjoying the story**

Chapter Ten: Please Don't Make Me Love You

Christine sat lay on her bed, pulling out a diary she had been keeping of her trip here. Flipping through the pages, she looked over the things she wrote about Erik, reflecting on what had been happening since she first met him…

_Dear Diary,_

…_It's only my second day in Romania and I'm already loving it and that's not only because of I ran into him today…well maybe it is. Anyway I met in the village today. Meg decided to continue the tour of the village since it was cut short yesterday. And of course I got distracted by that castle just outside the village and accidently ran into a guy. Seriously thought I ran into a wall because he didn't move at all. I mean he's basically a wall, very well built and GORGEOUS! It should be a crime to look like that, as Meg put it earlier today which I totally agree with. Even with the mask, he's still handsome. He seriously looks like Ramin when he was in Love Never Dies, it's kind of scary. But don't get me started on his voice; every time he speaks I wanna melt. And he's so nice; he helped me up and even said 'Welcome to Romania' in that sexy voice and beautiful language. But what puzzles me is that his' hands are ice cold. I know I don't know the weather here yet, but I'm pretty sure it's not so cold during the summer here. It actually reminds of the Phantom and how his skin was described as cold due to living underground. And his name is Erik! Don't know whether it's spelled with a 'c' or 'k', but still cool. And he said he hoped to see me again, that made my day! _

_But then I saw him again in a little store that Meg made me go into. Apparently Meg and her mother know Erik; he helped teach them Romanian when they moved here. He even gave Meg a little nickname (JEALOUS), kind of wish that he would give me a little nickname too. But Meg agreed that he's handsome. I actually am jealous of any woman that has gotten his attention, but why should I care? He's probably in love with someone already. Though he did say that blue is a good color on me, he's such a gentlemen. And before he left, he kissed my hand. OMG I thought I was going to faint then. I really hope I'll see him again soon…_

_Dear Diary,_

…_well I'm in luck, I got to see him again in a café. He helped me order a coffee even though it was black. He likes coffee too, even if he puts rum in it…strange. But he did talk to me for a bit before going to meet his friend…_

…_So Meg invited me to a party in the village so I could meet some of her friends. And guess who I saw when we got there: Erik. I didn't know what he was doing out when I heard it's dangerous. Even though we were out too, we actually had protection with the vampire hunters while Erik didn't, but I think Erik could take care of himself. But then he started to choke and was scaring me, I mean he literally couldn't breathe. He said that he was allergic to garlic but I've never seen anyone who's allergic just to the smell of it, well except vampires. But I doubt Erik's a vampire since they don't exist…_

_Dear Diary,_

_So…I talked to him again, apparently he loves to read. He even offered to teach me Romanian and of course I agreed. I would be an idiot if I refused and now I'll get to learn the language and see him, it's a win-win situation…_

_Dear Diary,_

_I don't know here to begin; I'm still shaken up about what happened today during the lesson. We were in the middle of the lesson when Erik's girlfriend, Leila comes barging in. OMG she is so pretty, I am actually jealous! Anyway the minute she came, Erik got all protective…to me. It was weird that he was using himself to shield me away from her, but I could see why when she tried to attack me. Thank god Erik was there or who knows what could have happened. But what was really scary was that her eyes were red, like blood red. Erik said it was contacts, but I don't believe him. There is something going on, but I don't know what it is. However, I'm glad that he protected me and then comforted me. I swear he wanted to kiss me when we were up in my bedroom but Meg had to arrive…UGH!_

_Dear Diary,_

_Erik was acting very strange during the lesson today, like his mind was somewhere else. And he didn't know about the monthly period that females get which is weird because he's with Leila and I'm sure she gets it. Maybe he just doesn't notice when she gets it or never learned about. I wonder how long they have been together and if it's serious. Meg told me a bit about them, but very little and Erik doesn't seem to want to talk about her. I guess you could say that I'm jealous of her; I mean she gets him all to herself while I'm single. I admit that I might have a little crush on him, but he would never like me more than a friend and if we do have something between us, I know he wouldn't leave his life here in Romania to come to America. I guess we're just meant to be friends and that's it _

_Dear Diary,_

_Erik is a musical genius! I swear he acts more and more like the Phantom each time I see him. First off, he has an organ at his place which I haven't seen yet. Hopefully I will before I leave Romania at the end of the summer. Anyway, he came over and played on Annette's piano and he played so beautiful. But nothing compares to his voice…OMG! I literally can't begin to describe it; I was speechless when he sang. He even sang my favorite song, Music of the Night and he so can rival Ramin. I was actually surprised when he didn't know who Ramin or Gerard were so I had to explain. Though I felt bad cuz he had to listen to me rant on and on, but it's Phantom! Then he had me sing a song and told me that I could compete against Sierra Boggess, so I'm guessing that means I'm good. After that I asked him to sing a duet, don't know why but I did and of course I had to pick the most passionate song from the musical. But I'm glad I picked that song because he was fantastic! I could see the passion in his eyes and hear it in his voice…and it was directed to me. Could it be that he may feel something for me? Oh god I hope so because after singing with him, I literally want to know what that passion feels like. I seriously think we crossed the line of friendship when he started to kiss my neck. I was so happy he was holding me up because my legs couldn't do it. I was secretly hoping that he would spin me back around and kiss me, but sadly he didn't __ It was strange how he just pulled away and then ran out of the house. I wonder if it's because of Leila, ugh hate her now! I admit that I'm extremely jealous of her because she had Erik, this isn't fair! _

_Dear Diary,_

_I can't believe Erik actually agreed to have dinner, I thought he would say no but he said yes __ and he helped me with the errands before returning to the house. We also got to sing a bit before dinner was ready. I swear I could see something in his eyes, like a hint of love in them. Why does he have to look at me like that, like he wants me? Why is it I only see that when he sings? Maybe it's his way of expressing his feelings…will keep that in mind. _

_I have to admit, he was very nice during dinner even though I know he didn't like the chicken. I did appreciate it that he tried to eat the whole meal without complaining …_

Sighing, Christine closed her diary and got off the bed. She walked over to the window to look out at the castle that glowed in the night. Her thoughts filled with Erik, trying to figure out what her feelings were. Finally she realized what she felt.

"I love him…" She whispered into the darkness. She took another sigh, realizing that she didn't know what his feelings were towards her. "_Please don't make me love you…unless you love me…"_

**Reveiws are welcome :)**


	11. Game Night

**A/N: so here's the next chapter. Hope you're all enjoying this story and a quick thanks to everyone reading and leaving reviews so THANK YOU! Ok so enjoy...**

Chapter Eleven: Game Night

"Hell no!" Nadir yelled at Erik, loud enough for the other people in the store to look over at them. "What are you looking at?" Nadir rudely said to the girl next to them who turned around quickly.

"Couldn't it hurt to be nice to people?" Erik asked him as he shook his head.

"Yes it would hurt because then I couldn't kill and eat them." He answered and looked back at the selection of board games in front of them.

"First off you don't kill them, I do." He said quietly so that no one would hear that. "Second off, could you please do this for me?" He basically was begging his friend. "I don't want to be the only man there, who knows what games they'll play."

"I doubt they'll play strip poker since Annette will be there…she is going to be there, right?" Nadir asked him.

"She has to go to Bucharest for two days, she left this morning." Erik answered as he looked at the _Twister _box.

"Thought she had a rule of no boys over while she is away?"

"She does, but I'm guessing since I'm an adult with a girlfriend that I'm fine. Plus she didn't want Christine and Meg to be alone so she asked me to keep an eye on them. Christine is the one who asked me to Friday Family Night." He explained. "Do they have this game?" He asked Nadir.

"Didn't she give you a list of all the games they have?"

"They only have a few card games, that's why Christine sent me out to pick up a few board games." Erik answered. "Ok I'll get this." He put the box in the cart and continued to look at more.

"Oh let's grab Apples to Apples, I've heard it's good and very popular." Nadir told him. Listening, Erik grabbed the game and put it in the cart. "Alright, let's see…" He looked at the selection. "Oh...bingo." He pulled one out and showed his friend.

"Battle of the Sexes?" Erik raised an eyebrow. "Eh sure why not?" Nadir put the box in. "Alright I think that's enough for now since we can't stay there all night or else we'll go crazy."

"We?" He repeated.

"Yes we, I'm not going by myself." They walked over to the register to pay for the items. "Please Nadir, I'll pay you back."

"You already owe me for spending time with Leila on her birthday while you were with Christine."

"You made me go so I don't owe you for that." Erik corrected as he got out his wallet. "And plus you owe me all the food I give you every night."

"Damn…alright I'm come along, but it better be a hell of a night." Erik smiled in victory and quickly paid for the items. Leaving the store, they walked out to the car and put the things inside and climbed into the vehicle. Turning the car on, Erik drove back to the village.

Christine helped Meg clean up the house for tonight. She was so nervous now that she admitted that she loved him even though she hasn't told anyone yet. She decided to keep it to herself, afraid of what his reaction would be. Thought she didn't know how long she could keep it from Meg. She decided she'll tell her after tonight after Erik goes home. Once they finished cleaning up, Meg went into the kitchen to quickly make some dinner for them while Christine grabbed the card games from the cabinet in the living room. Soon the sun was starting to set and Erik would arrive any minute. Nerves began to build up and she hoped she would survive this night. Just as Meg finished dinner, the doorbell rang and Christine went to answer it. Opening the door, Erik and Nadir were standing there with a bag of board games.

"Hope you don't mind, but I brought along a friend." He motioned his head to the man standing next to him.

"Of course not, come on in." She invited them and took the bag from Erik. Meg came out of the kitchen and saw the two men standing in the living room.

"Hey Erik." She greeted him. "Who's this?" She asked as she set the food on the table.

"Meg this is my friend Nadir." Erik introduced them. Meg smiled at Nadir who bowed his head slightly.

"Oh a gentleman, you don't find many of those these days." Meg commented, making Christine blush a bit. "Alright so dinner's on the table, hope you guys like steak since I know Erik doesn't like chicken." Nadir looked at Erik who had a worried look on his face.

"How's it cooked?" Nadir asked as they came to sit around the table.

"Medium rare except for mine which is medium." Meg answered as she took her steak. Nadir smiled and took his while Erik grabbed one for Christine and then him. Cutting the tender meat, he took a bit of it and actually found himself being able to eat it unlike the chicken. Nadir however was engulfing his steak which made Christine and Meg giggled. Erik elbowed Nadir who stopped eating to look at his friend.

"Manners Wolf." Erik whispered to him. He nodded and continued to eat much slower.

"Well I'm glad to see Erik likes steak." Meg stated as she took a sip of her water. He did find it good, but still preferred blood. "So what games did you guys buy?" She asked the men.

"Apples to Apples…" Meg squealed in excitement. "…um Twister and Battle of the Sexes, Nadir picked the last one out."

"All very good games so good job to you both. This is going to be a fun night." Meg said, excited to get the games started. "Christine, you can join in the conversation." The two men looked at her, making her blush again.

"Um well…" Her eyes locked with Erik's, making her more speechless.

"How are you finding Romania?" Erik asked her.

"I'm in love with Romania, wish I didn't have to go back to America at the end of the summer." She answered. The last part hit Erik hard; he had forgotten that she was only here for the summer and would have to leave after the summer ended.

"Well you could come to college here in Romania, and then you wouldn't have to leave at all. We can see each other more and you're always welcome to stay here."

"Meg I couldn't just drop my life in America, I have my family there especially my father. Besides, I already accepted the offer from Julliard."

"What's your major?" Nadir asked her.

"Theatre." Christine answered.

"You want to be on Broadway one day?" Erik asked as he took another bite of the steak.

"It's a dream or the West End. Ever since I was little, I've always loved seeing the shows and I remember when I saw Phantom of the Opera, I told my dad that I will be Christine one day."

"Well when you do, I will be sure to buy tickets to see you perform." Erik said to her.

"Really?"

"Of course." A smile came to her face. Soon the group finished their dinner and the guys helped the girls clean up. Erik and Christine went to set up the first game: Twister. Meg decided to be in charge of the spinner while Nadir passed, making Erik play with Christine instead.

Erik and Christine on two sides of the twister mat, waiting for Meg's command. Erik had no idea who he was going to get himself into. He had never played this game so this was all new to him. Meg gave Christine first command: left foot on green. Erik waited for Meg to spin the wheel for his command.

"Right foot on blue." She told him and he followed. "Christine, right foot on yellow…Erik, left foot green…Christine, right hand on yellow…Erik, left hand blue…" Christine giggled as Erik tried to move around her.

"This was a bad idea." Christine giggled as they continued to play. Soon their limps were spread placed all over the mat and Nadir was enjoying this.

"Christine, right hand red." Meg told her. She looked at the spot and wondered how she was going to put her hand there when Erik was blocking the way. She could reach over him; he was much bigger than she was so she slid her hand underneath, making her body go slightly under him. "Erik, left foot green again." Christine knew Erik would have to go over her which is what he did. His leg moved over hers to place his foot on the green spot. Meg kept giving commands and soon Erik's body hovered over Christine. They continued to play and Nadir tired so hard not to laugh. After Meg's next command, Christine was able to get out from underneath Erik who was now setting in a corner.

"Remind me again why we brought this game." Erik said as he placed his left hand on yellow.

"Because it's fun." Meg answered. "Christine, right foot on red." The game continued to play and soon Erik's limps were tangled. He knew he was going to lose since he couldn't move without falling. Having to obey Meg's command, he looked at how he was going to place his hand on green. Moving his body, he managed to get to the spot, but had to move over her again. His body once again hovered of hers, but she didn't mind. "Good thing we didn't play dirty twister."

"What's that?" Nadir asked.

"Twister with paint." Meg answered before spinning again. "Erik, left foot green." Erik groaned as he tried to get his foot over to a green spot. Unprepared, his foot accidently hit Christine's arms, making her fall to the ground. She rolled a bit and hit Erik's arms that held him up, making him fall…on her. He quickly lifted himself up a bit, making sure he didn't crush her.

"You alright?" He asked her as he looked down at her. Her cheeks were bright red as she realized what their positions were. His body fully covered hers while his leg settled between hers. "I-I'm sorry." He got up and held out his hand to help her up.

"So who won?" Nadir asked.

"Hard to tell since they both fell, but I think Christine wins since Erik made her fall." Meg stated. "So congrats Christine on your victory." She winked at her friend who kept on blushing. "Ok what's next?" She looked at Nadir who shrugged.

"I think the guys so do something together." Christine suggested.

"Oh I got the perfect idea." Meg leaped off the couch and ran into the kitchen. Erik and Nadir looked at each other, wondering what's going on. Meg returned with a bag of crackers and a plate. She set the crackers on the plate and put the plate on the table. "The first one to each the most crackers in a minute wins." Meg explained the quick game. Erik swallowed hard, knowing he didn't like crackers at all.

"Come on." Christine told his hand and led him over to the table while Nadir just walked over and sat down. Erik sat next to him and Meg grabbed her phone for the stopwatch while Christine sat across from the two men to keep track of them. "Meg where did you come up with this game?" She asked her friend.

"YouTube, John Owen Jones and Killian Donnelly did this while on tour for Phantom." She answered Christine. "So you two eat as many as you can and after a minute, sing out 24601. Any questions?" She asked them. They shook their hands and prepared themselves. "Ready…go!" The two men grabbed the crackers and shoved them into their mouths. Erik tried not to spit them out as he put them in his mouth. He quickly grabbed two and began to chew on it while Nadir kept grabbing one. "Time!"

"_24601!" _They sang out. Erik's hand shot up to his mouth so he wouldn't spit it out while Nadir just laughed with a mouth full of crackers.

"Erik won." Christine declared.

"Yes!" He flew his arms up in victory, making Christine giggle.

"You only said that becau-" Christine quickly elbowed Meg because she could finish. Erik and Nadir finished their crackers and swallowed. "Alright, let's play Apples to Apples for a bit." Meg cleaned up the mess while Christine got the game read. They quickly explained the game to Erik and Nadir and began to play it. Erik found himself liking this game while Nadir kept losing. Several times the group laughed as the choices and after two hours, the game ended with Meg winning with the most cards.

For the final game, they decided to play Battle of the Sexes. Christine set up the board as Erik read the directions while Nadir grabbed some drinks for them. Meg looked over the directions with Erik as they tried to figure out how to play. Once they settled back at the table, Meg went on to explain the game to the others. Picking up the first card, Christine looked at it before showing the men.

"Which of these brushes would a woman use for applying blush?" She asked them. Nadir looked at Erik who looked at the pictures.

"Come on Erik, you should know this since Leila puts on lots of make-up on." Nadir said to his friend.

"Yes but I don't watch her put it on." Erik said to Nadir. "Ok I'm going to take a guess here and say that one." He pointed to a brush.

"Wow you're right." Meg said, making him sigh in relief.

"Thanks Erik."

"No problem buddy." Erik moved his pieced and picked up a card. "Ok apparently they have to act out 'watching a football game'." Erik said to the girls.

"Wait, are we talking about American football and European soccer?" Christine asked, wanting to make sure she had it right.

"Well since we're in Europe, it's soccer for you guys." Nadir answered.

"Really wish I watched soccer now." Christine said before she and Meg started to pretend to be yelling at a TV. Erik and Nadir burst out laughing as they acted out the scene.

"Wow is that what we really act like?" Nadir asked as he tried to stop laughing.

"Alright, you've had your laughs." Meg stopped acting and took a sip of her water. The four of them continued to play until early in the morning. Soon the clock struck three in the morning and Meg was getting tired. "Ok I think it's time to call it a night. Thanks guys for coming over."

"No problem, actually had fun. We should have Friday Fun Nights more often." Nadir stated. "Thank you for inviting us." He rose from his chair and quickly helped Meg clean up while Erik walked with Christine up to her bedroom. She had something that she wanted to give him that was in her room. Meg noticed them walk up the stairs and smiled.

Christine opened the door and went over to her nightstand while Erik stood in the doorway. He had been up here before and wanted to forget about that time since it was Leila tried to attack Christine. Shaking his head, he noticed a few pictures taped to the wall. Walking over, he looked at the pictures she had up. A few were of her and Meg while one was of her father and another was of a guy whose arm was around her.

"Found it." His head turned to look at Christine who held up a book. Walking over to her, he took the book from her and looked at it. "You told me you would teach me Romanian if I taught you a bit about America and I know I haven't kept my end of the deal, that's why I want to give you that. It's not all the history, but it's a part that I'm interested in."

"The history of Broadway." A smile came to his face. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Erik! Let's go!" They heard Nadir's voice yell from the downstairs. "Ow!"

"Let them go!" Meg's voice yelled at him, making Erik and Christine chuckle.

"I probably should get going. Thank you for the invite, it was fun."

"Thank you for coming, it means a lot…I'll walk you down to the door."

"No it's fine; Nadir is waiting anyway but thank you." He turned to leave but stopped. Turning back around, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Vise plăcute îngerul meu." He whispered in her ear. Pulling away, he gave one last smile before turning around and walking out. Christine sat on the bed, her fingers feeling the spot on her cheek where his lips touched. She quickly got up and ran to her window, looking down as she saw the two men leaving the house. Nadir was complaining about something while Erik looked at the book. Just before the house would be out of sight, he stopped and turned around to face the house. He could see her at her window, looking at him. A smile came to his face and he continued to walk home.

_Romanian to English:_

_Vise plăcute îngerul meu. = Sweet dreams my Angel_

**Reviews are welcome :)**


	12. the Portrait

**A/N: so this chapter was inspired by the portrait scene from Titanic since Erik is said to be a wonderful artist. Quick thanks to everyone reading and reviewing this story, means a lot to me :) **

Chapter Twelve: The Portrait

"Erik!" Leila's voice travelled through the castle. Erik groaned and pulled the blanket over his face. It was around seven in the morning so he only got about four hours of sleep. "Erik!" She came down into the living room, seeing Erik lying on the couch with the blanket over his face. "Erik?"

"What?" He shot up, annoyed at her. "What is it?" He yelled at her.  
"Where were you last night?" She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. He groaned, not in the mood for this.

"Out with Nadir." He answered, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Who else?" She asked. "And don't lie to me, I can smell her on you." He could hear the anger in her voice.

"I was also with Christine and her friend Meg, we were at her house. There, you happy now?" He fell back on the couch to get more sleep.

"I can't believe you're cheating on me with a mortal."

"I am not cheating!" He shot up again, furious now at her. "Yes I spend time with her but I'm not sleeping with her."

"What's so special about her?" He groaned as he lay back on the couch. "Answer me Erik!"

"That's it!" He tossed the blanket off of him and rolled off the couch. He started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" She yelled out to him.

"Away from you!" He yelled back and opened the double door of the castle. Slamming it behind him, he took a deep breathe. His eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness as he began to walk up a path that led to a cave. Entering the cool dark cave, he found Nadir standing by a candle with a stone in his hand.

"What brings you here?" He asked his friend as he continued his drawing on the wall.

"Leila." He answered. "I can't take this anymore; I should have never changed her."

"Can't you unchange her?"

"I don't know how to, my dad does and I don't feel like asking him." He sighed. "Hate it when he's right." Nadir chuckled a bit.

"Well we did warn you about her, but you didn't listen."

"Don't make me bite you." Erik threatened.

"I probably wouldn't taste good anyway." Nadir joked a bit. "Well how about we got for a hike?" He suggested. "It's a beautiful day out and I think you could use some fresh air." Erik agreed and they two headed out of the cave. They started off on a path that hikers often took when hiking around the area.

As they walked, Erik's senses went into full gear. He could hear the voices of the birds as they sang their beautiful songs. His skin picked up the warmth of the sun as his nose inhaled the smell of nature and also scents of the people.

"Enjoying nature?" Nadir asked as they made a quick stop to rest.

"Very much."

"So what are you going to do about Leila?" He asked Erik who let out a sigh.

"I don't know, probably should end it. Things aren't going to well, all we do now is argue and it's getting annoying."

"You still care for her, don't you?"

"Yes I do, but there's nothing there anymore. There's no passion and…" He was going to say something but decided not to.

"The passion is with Christine." Nadir said it instead. "When you mean end it, do you actually mean…?"

"No I'm not going to kill her. I might ask father if he could take her in, she'd get along with his brides." He suggested. "I'll go up a weekend and ask him."

"So does this mean you're going after Christine?" Nadir asked, quickly pulling out his phone to send a message to someone.

"I don't know, I mean I know there's something there between us... but I'm a monster and if she ever found out about me, I'd lose her for good."

"You never know, she could surprise you."

"Yeah I know. Come on, let's go." Erik said, not wanting to talk about this anymore. Nadir shook his head and followed Erik. He knew Erik hated talking about this kind of stuff and would always try to change the subject. They continued down the path until Erik picked up a familiar scent that he knew too well. Soon he heard his name being called and the two men turned around to see Meg and Christine walked up to them. As they approached, Erik's eyes looked over the woman who was stealing his heart.

Her curly hair was pulled back into a high pony tail, leaving her neck open to his hungry mouth. A light brown tank hugged the curves of her body while she wore loose khaki shorts with hiking boots. Even with no makeup on, she still looked beautiful to him. Her smile warmed his cold heart as she approached him, lighting up the already bright sky.

"Hey guys." Meg greeted them.

"Little Meg…" He greeted her and then looked at Christine. "…Little Lotte." Her smile grew at the sound of her new nickname.

"Aw see? He gave you a nickname and it's cute." Meg said. "So what brings you two out here?" She asked them.

"Erik needed some space from Leila." Nadir answered. "Trouble in paradise." Erik rolled his eyes.

"Thank you Nadir, I can always count of you."

"Sorry to hear that." Christine said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Erik knew that she felt bad; feeling like it was her fault.

"Walk with me?" He asked her, making her nodded. He led her to another path as Nadir and Meg watched them leave. The two high fived and decided to walk down the same path, leaving the others.

Erik chooses this path for a reason, it was a path that led to the castle and he only used it since people were too scared to come near the castle. Christine noticed they were walking closer to the castle and stopped, worried a bit. Erik stopped as well and turned to face her.

"Is it safe?" She asked him, remembering the stories that she heard about the castle.

"Don't worry Christine, it's perfectly safe." He answered. "Besides that castle-" He pointed to the towering building of stone. "-belongs to me." Her eyes widen and mouth dropped.

"You own Bram Castle?" He nodded. "You're rich?"

"I guess you could say that, but it used to be my father's until he left it to me." He explained.

"I can't believe that you live in a castle. But what about the stories?" She asked.

"You mean the stories of a monster that lives in the shadows of the castle and preys on innocent people?" Oh he knew those stories very well. "Well I guess you could call me a monster." He pointed to his mask. "And I sometimes live in the shadows of the castle."

"I don't think you're a monster, no matter what's behind the mask."

"If only that were true." She took his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

"It is true to me." A warm smile appeared on his face.

"Come, I want to show you something." He led her up a path, still holding her hand. They soon came up to a clearing that was up high on the hill that seemed to be a mountain to Christine. He had her face away from the castle and a gasp left her mouth. Her eyes gazed down at the view of the village that looked miles away from where they were. She could see the tops of the buildings that weren't covered up by the green trees. The cloudless sky helped brighten everything up.

"Erik…this is incredible. Is this what you see all the time?" She asked him, turning her face to look at him.

"Sometimes, but the view from my balcony is much better. Maybe I'll show you one day before you leave."

"You mean a tour of your castle?" He nodded. "I'd love that!" She squealed and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. Quickly realizing what she was doing, she pulled away. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright Christine, I…I'm ending things with Leila."

"Why?" She asked. He sighed, wondering if he should tell her the truth.

"Well…" He sat down on the grass, making her follow. He brought one of his knees to his chest as he used his arm to lean back on. "…there isn't anything there anymore, we just argue now; that's why I'm in the village all the time now."

"Did you ever love her?"

"No I didn't." He answered.

"Have you ever loved someone?" She asked him. His eyes looked down at the ground, thinking of an answer. "I'm sorry if I'm getting too personal." She apologized.

"Don't be sorry, I'm not use to having someone ask me these kinds of questions. And to answer your recent one…yes I have once. But that ended horrible."

"May I ask why?"

"She died…it was after she saw my face. You see I was born with a deformity which is why I wear this mask." He pointed to the mask on his face. "She couldn't accept me and my secret, so she killed herself."

"Oh Erik I'm so sorry."

"I don't need your pity Christine; I have gotten over it but it has made me a little colder when it comes to relationships and love."

"Then how come you're so warm to me?" She asked.

"Because you seem to accept me for whom I am inside." A smile came to her face. Without thinking, he slowly leaned in closer. Her eyes gently closed as her lips slightly parted.

"Christine!" They heard Meg's voice call out her name. Erik groaned and pulled away as Meg came into view. "There you guys are." Nadir came up behind her, panting.

"Sorry Erik, I accidently told her that you own the castle and she bolted up here." He said breathless after chasing her up the big hill.

"It's alright, just sleep with one eye open tonight." Christine giggled.

"Wow…look at his view." Meg looked out. "It's breathtaking."

"If you think this is breathtaking, you should see Erik's painting he did of this during a sunrise." Nadir stated.

"You draw?" Christine asked.

"Yep, have several painting in the castle on the wall. I managed to see a few with one sitting in the Louvre in Pairs." He answered.

"A musician and an artist." Meg commented.

"Can I see some of these paintings?" Christine asked.

"Sure, I have a few at the little museum in the village. Would you like to go there now?" He asked them and they nodded. They left the view and headed down the path away from the castle. Erik didn't realize that Leila was watching them from his balcony and heard every word. Her body filled with rage as she had watched him tell Christine that he was ending the relationship and the almost kiss. She hated him now and hated Christine even more. Letting out a growl, she stormed back inside.

The four of them arrived at the small museum and were greeted by the caretaker. He talked to Erik for a bit before showing them the room where a few paintings of the country were on display. Christine was speechless as she looked at them.

"These are beautiful Erik." They stood at a painting while Nadir and Meg looked at another one.

"Thank you."

"Do you just do landscapes?" She asked.

"At the moment yes, but I have done portraits before." He answered.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Will you draw me?" She asked him, hoping he would say yes.

"Of course." A smile came to her face. "Where would like it done?" He asked her. She thought for a moment. Suddenly the scene from Titanic came to her mind, making her cheeks blushed.

"Um…you decide since you're the artist." He thought for a moment now too. He wanted to capture her beauty, but how?

"Well how would you like me to capture your beauty?" She blushed at his words.

"Titanic!" Meg said out loud. Both of them looked at her. "What?"

"What does she mean by that?" Erik asked, looking back at Christine.

"In the movie, there's a scene where Jack was drawing Rose as a request from her." Christine explained.

"Ah I see, well would you like to do that then?" He asked, having never seen the movie.

"Um…she was nude during it."

"Oh…"

"Yeah…"

"I don't want you to do anything that you're uncomfortable doing." She thought for a second before coming up with an idea.

"Actually why not?" She felt like taking a risk. "I mean if you don't want to."

"No it's just... I've never drawn a person nude before."

"Well I've never posed nude before so it's a first for the both of us."

"Might as well experience it together." She nodded. "How about you come over to my place so Annette doesn't rip my head off?" He suggested.

"Good idea, show I bring anything?" She asked him.

"Just yourself, I have all the tools in my studio and I'll use one of the rooms as a background." He answered. "Come over close to sun down."

"But don't you need the sun for light?" He shook his head. "Already have a vision?" He nodded. "Well I look forward to seeing what it will be." Nadir walked over to them and tapped Erik on his shoulder.

"We have to meet up with Stefan and you know he hates having to wait." Erik rolled his eyes.

"Alright…I'll see you tomorrow then." He said as he left the museum with Nadir. Christine continued to look at the paintings with Meg. She couldn't believe how talented he was. The rest of the day went by slow for Christine. She was so nervous for tomorrow, yet excited. She was excited that she was going to be posing for Erik, but couldn't believe she was going to pose nude. She had never shown a man her body before and wondered what Erik might be thinking about this. She knew that he had seen a woman nude before, but not her.

The next day Christine was a bundle of nerves. She didn't get much sleep that night since she was thinking about the drawing. She showered in the morning, making sure she was clean and also shaved. She decided not to put on any makeup since Erik wanted to capture her natural beauty. Grabbing a pair of sweatpants and tank, she wanted to dress casual for this since she would be wearing nothing. She still couldn't believe that she was going to do this, but here she was. When it came time to head to Erik's place, she quickly told Annette and Meg that she was going to meet Erik for a Romanian lesson. Annette allowed her to go and she left to walk to the castle. As she passed people in the village, they gave her worried looks as she headed in the direction of the castle. Coming up to the towering building, she knocked on the double doors. Soon one of the opened and Erik appeared.

"Welcome." He greeted her. "Come in." He held the big wooden door wider for her to walk in. Her mouth dropped as she entered.

"Wow…" Her eyes scanned over the room that she was standing it. "Still can't believe you live here." He chuckled a bit.

"Come, I set up a room and have my supplies there already." He held out his hand which she took and he led her through the castle. They came to a wooden door and he opened it. Her mouth dropped as she stepped into the music room. The walls were decorated with instruments that hung there while a giant organ sat in the middle of the room. Hanging from the ceiling was a big chandelier while candles were placed all over the room. Two long bookshelves ran along one wall that stored scores of music. There were two couches at one end of the room where she could see the supplies were set up. She also saw a screen where she believed she could be changing. "You can change behind the screen; I have grabbed a robe for you to wear if you want."

"Thanks." He could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her.

"Yes I'm sure." He nodded and allowed her to change behind the screen while he set up his tools. She quickly removed her clothes and put on the robe. She soon realized it was Erik's due to the size and it smelled like him. She tightened it around her body and stepped out to see him sitting by a big canvas with numerous paints, brushes and several pencils. "Um…where do you want me?" She asked him.

"The couch." He told her. She nodded and walked over to the couch in front of the canvas. He walked over to her and stood in front of her. "Alright, since this is like Titanic for you, you can lie down on the couch..." She nodded. Placing her hands on the tie, the robe loosened around her. She let the robe fall to the ground. Erik kept his eyes locked with hers, wanting her to feel comfortable. "Lie down on the bed-the couch." He corrected, mentally cursing his mind. She laid down on the couch, resting her head on the pillow.

"How do you want me?" She asked, unsure what to do. He came over and moved her left arm to rest above her head, along the arm of the couch. He placed her other arm near her face, having her hand gracefully placed on next to her forehead. Stepping back, he looked at her and took in her beauty. Walking over to the chair, he sat down on the chair and grabbed a pencil. He quickly told her a few instructions before starting.

Taking a deep breathe, his hand began to draw out her body. His eyes kept glancing back at her as he drew out her hand and arm. He soon came to draw her face, taking in every outline. As he drew her lips, his mind imagined his lips kissing them. His hand drew every strand of her curly brown hair that lay spread out on the pillows. Once her face and two arms were down, he moved to outline her body. Coming up to her breasts, he tried to focus his mind.

"Are you blushing Erik?" He smiled a bit, realizing he was blushing. A guilty smile came on his face, making her smile a bit.

"Troublemaker." He teased. He continued to draw the rest of her body, getting every curve and shape of it. He looked over the drawing, making sure it was perfect before moving on. Satisfied, he went to draw the background the he pictured to have her in. Once he was finished, he set the pencil down and quickly stretched his stiff muscles. Grabbing the paint, he began to mix colors to get to the shades he wants. Finding the right shade for her skin, he began to add color to the canvas. He could blend a bit to get different shades, making it more realistic. Once he finished coloring her body, he began to add color to her hair. With each brush stroke, he added a chocolate strand of paint to it. He added some brown at her center, blushing a bit again. Cleaning the brush, he mixed some colors again to get the shade of brown for her eyes. Once her eyes were finished, he made her lips a beautiful shade of pink, making him tempted to kiss her. He then moved to paint the background. "You can get dressed if you want while I finish up." He said to her, not taking his eyes off the canvas. Nodding, she got up and quickly put the robe on, covering her body. Walking over the screen, she quickly got dressed and walked back, holding the robe. Erik was still painting so she went to sit back on the couch. Her heart was bounding in her chest as her mind repaid what just happened. Several minutes passed and Erik finally finished. "Come here." She got up and went to look at the painting. He moved aside so she could see it better. Standing in front of it, she truly was speechless.

Instead of lying on a couch, Erik had made it so she was lying on a cloud in the sky with wings. The details of the wings and cloud were so perfect, but she could tell that his main focus was her. He brought out every beautiful thing about her; the color of her lips, the curly of each strand of hair, the passion in her eyes and the smoothness of her skin. He made her into an angel, a beautiful angel.

"Erik…it's wonderful." She looked at him. "You're truly a gifted man."

"The credit goes to you. I may be gifted, but to capture an angel in a painting is something truly wonderful."

"I'm no angel." She blushed at his words.

"Yes you are." A smile came to her face.

"Thank you." He returned her smile. Her eyes returned to the painting, still amazed by it. As she looked at it, she truly felt beautiful. Whenever she looked at herself in the mirror or in pictures, she would simply see a girl. But now looking at this painting that Erik created, she could see what he thought of her: an angel, a beautiful angel. And to Erik…she was an angel.

**So looks like Erik is now single...Reviews are welcome :)**


	13. Trip to Bucharest

**A/N: So i hope everyone is enjoying this story. Love hearing what you guys think. So here's the next chapter, took a lot of researching for this to make sure everything accurate. Hope you enjoy...**

Chapter Thirteen: Trip to Bucharest

The moon rose high in the dark sky, surrounded by millions of stars. The village was quiet, the people sleeping peacefully in their beds. Erik ventured out of the castle, but instead of heading to the village he walked in the opposite direction. He knew there was a small lake nearby and usually went for a midnight swim to relax. Approaching the lake, the sky reflected on the calm water. He removed his clothes and set his mask on top of them before diving in the cool water. Coming up, his hands combed his hair back off his face. The cool water helped relax his stressed body. The last two days had been a nightmare for him trying to deal with Leila. After Christine left when her portrait was finished, Leila confronted him. He then told her that he was done and she was furious, calling him a cheater and other things. He told her why he couldn't do it anymore, not telling her that Christine was a part of the reason. Since then he had been dealing with her whining and complaining since she was still staying at the castle with him. He was glad that he was going to Bucharest in two days.

Coming out of the water, he quickly put on his clothes and his mask. Walking back up to the castle, he heard a wolf howl and knew who it was. A smile came to his face and he changed direction to head over to the cave where the wolf was still howling. When the animal saw Erik, he stood on his hind legs and soon began to transform into a human.

"Surprise to see you here." Nadir said to his friend as he walked up to him.

"I was out for a swim and heard your howl so I thought I'd visit."

"How's Leila doing?" Nadir asked him.

"Not liking the fact that she's now single, but I just couldn't do it anymore."

"So what about Christine?"

"What's with all the questions?" Erik asked.

"Hey I just want to know what's going on with my friend who's in a love triangle."

"I am not in a love triangle since I never loved Leila and I…I…" He let out a sigh. "I don't know anymore."

"Could it be love?" Nadir asked.

"It could be, but I don't know." He answered. "But it's wrong."

"How is it wrong?"

"She's so pure and young, I'm old and dirty."

"Ok first off you don't look a day pass twenty-five and second, so what if you're cursed forever. I mean sure that means you can't die and she will age until she dies while you'll still be young."

"Nadir, how is that helping?" Erik asked.

"Well maybe if she knew your secret she'd-"

"Run for the hills." Erik finished.

"Not what I was going to say."

"But it's the truth."

"You never know, hey why don't you invite her up to Bucharest with us? You can show her the capital." Nadir suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, I'll ask her later today when the sun's out." Erik agreed. Nadir was surprised that his friend actually agreed to something he suggested. Something must be wrong with Erik if he agreed, but he was going to savor this moment. Looking up at the sky, Erik decided to go hunt quickly before calling it a night. Saying goodbye to his friend, Erik headed into the woods to get a small animal instead of a human since now Leila was allowed to hunt on her own and he didn't feel like killing a human. Returning back to the castle with a full stomach, he climbed into his bed and let sleep come to him.

Hours later, Christine woke up to Meg banging on her door. She got up to open the door, seeing a happy Meg. Christine was still tired so her mood wasn't near Meg's.

"You will not believe who's here." Christine quickly looked at the clock to see it was only nine in the morning. She wasn't supposed to be at the music store for another hour.

"Who?" Christine asked.

"Guess." Meg placed her hands on her hips.

"Erik?" Meg nodded and Christine quickly ran around her room. She grabbed clean clothes and rushed to put them on. Sprinting to the bathroom, she brushed her hair and teeth before leaving the room. Meg stood in the hallway, smiling as Christine ran around like a chicken with its head off. Finally dressed, she ran down the stairs to see Erik standing with Annette in the living room. When he heard her finally downstairs, he turned his head to look at her. A smile appeared on his face, making her smile as well. "Morning Erik." She greeted as she stood in front of him.

"Morning, I was just talking to Annette about tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" She asked him.

"Wednesday I'm going to Bucharest for the day and I was wondering if you and Meg would like to come along with me and Nadir." He answered. Christine's face light up as Meg came running down, having heard what he said.

"Can we go mother? Please…" Meg asked her mom, wanting to go.

"I already agreed with Erik." The two girls squealed and hugged Annette. They both thanked her and then looked at Erik.

"I can't wait to see the capital." Christine said, excited about the trip.

"We leave early in the morning since its long drive and we'll be back late, really late. Um bring money for shopping-" Meg squealed again. "…and also your cameras. You'll be getting a tour of the capital and Nadir will help you girls shop." He explained to them.

"Wait, aren't you shopping with us?" Christine asked him.

"I have to meet up with someone for a bit, it won't be long but I figured instead of having you guys waiting you'd want to shop." He answered.

"He has a point." Meg stated.

"Ok well that's settled. Now time for breakfast since you work in an hour and I'm sure Erik has plans for today." Annette told them.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow morning, bright and early." He said before leaving. Christine grabbed some breakfast before heading to the music store to work till around dinner time. She couldn't focus much during work, too excited about the trip tomorrow. Not only was she going to see the capital with her best friend, but now she was going with Erik…and Nadir.

Early the next morning, around four in the morning, Erik arrived at the Giry's house. The girls were ready and already wide awake. He greeted them with coffee and they walked over to the car that Erik had. Nadir was already inside, sitting in the back. Meg made Christine sit in the shotgun seat while she at with Nadir in the back. Erik started the car and the four of them were off. The sun was still set so Erik had to use the headlights to see the road. He put on some Romanian music as background noise.

"This is so exciting!" Meg squealed again.

"Is she always this excited?" Nadir asked Christine.

"Sometimes, usually it's for boys though." She answered him. "Calm down Meg, we're not even out of Bran yet." Erik chuckled.

"Haven't you been to the capital before though?" Nadir asked Meg.

"Yes a few times, but not with my best friend and my two news friends." That made Erik and Nadir smile, knowing now Meg considered them friends. "How many times have you guys been to the capital?" Meg asked the two men.

"Well I visit every once in a while, but Erik actually lived there once." Nadir answered.

"You lived in Bucharest?" Christine asked Erik.

"For a few years with my dad."

"I have a question: what is your nationality?" Christine asked. "Because I know you weren't born in Romania." Erik thought for a moment, figuring what he should tell her. He wasn't full Romanian, he moved to Romania with his father after his mother died.

"My father is Romanian while my mother is English. He met her while visiting England once, but she was engaged at the time and later married. But she loved him too much and divorced her husband to marry him. And as I told you before I was born with a deformity, but my parents still loved me and raised me as if I was a normal kid. My mother died when I was about ten years old and that's when my father moved back here. He owned the castle, but rarely was there so that's why people were allowed to tour the place but then I moved in." He partly told her the truth.

"What was your mother's name?" She asked him.

"Wilhelmina…but my father called her Mina." He answered.

"She must have been a wonderful woman."

"She was…"

"So you're really an English man?" Meg asked.

"I'm part English and part Romanian, but I was raised with English manners. However I call Romania my home, England is my second home." He answered Meg's question.

"I always loved English accents." The three of them chuckled.

"Sorry, my English accent has faded away and my Romanian accent took its place." He commented.

"Shame, I prefer English accents. Oh well…" Erik shook his head at Meg's sentence.

"Sorry to hear that Meg thought we had something here." He joked.

"Oh we did, but then you lose your sexy English accent." She joked back, making the four of the laugh. "But I think Christine loves Romanian accents." Meg hinted. Erik looked at Christine who blushed.

"Is that so?" Erik raised an eyebrow.

"Um…well…" She sank in her eat, feeling embarrassed. Erik chuckled as he looked back on the road. Christine turned around to look at Meg. "I'm going to kill you." She whispered. Meg leaned forward.

"Sorry, but you need to make a move now while he's still single." Meg whispered back. "He might find someone soon and it will be too late."

"You know I can hear you two." Erik stated. Now both of them blushed as she moved to seat back in their seats. Christine decided to take a little nap while on the road. Closing her eyes, she let the dreams take over and soon drifted off into sleep.

After what seems like hours, Christine could hear someone's voice calling her name. As she slowly woke up, the voice became clearer and she picked it out to be Erik's voice. Her eyes opened to see his face and smiled. He told her that they arrived and her head popped up to look around. He moved aside so she could get out of the car.

"Morning sleepy head." Meg teased.

"What did I miss?" Christine asked as she yawned.

"I don't know." Meg shrugged. "I fell asleep too so I think Erik and Nadir just talked to each other.

"Alright, ready guys?" Erik asked after locking the car. They nodded and began to walk around. Christine's eyes kept looking around at all the buildings, making her not look at where she was going. At one point, she ran into Erik's back as he stood at the end of the sidewalk. He turned around she see her rubbing her nose. "You're easily distracted, aren't you?" He asked her with a slight smile.

"You have no idea." She answered back.

"Well just be careful; it's easy to get lost here if you've never been here before." He advised her. They began to walk again and Christine kept bumping into Erik. "Here…" He held out his hand to her. Smiling, she accepted and walked the streets of Bucharest hand in hand with him. She felt as if she was on cloud nine now. They arrived at the Cantacuzino Palace and Christine quickly pulled out her camera. "This is the George Enescu Museum, but it was once the home of Grigore Cantacuzino, who was thought to be one of Romania's wealthiest citizens in 1899. It took about two years for this to be built in a French style." Erik explained it as the two girls toke pictures. The white outer wall rose tall above the ground with four tall arched windows on each side for each floor with wrought iron balconies. The top of the building was a light tan color with little windows and statues. The building was surrounded with an iron fence with a tall gate in the front.

"This is really beautiful; he must have been really rich to have this beautiful house." Meg stated as she finished taking pictures. They continued to along the streets until coming up to a square. "I know this!"

"Care to tell?" Christine asked, not knowing.

"This is Revolution Square, where Ceaușescu had his final moments in power." Meg answered, remembering this in school.

"Who is Cea-eau…ses…you know who I mean?" Christine said, unable to pronounce his name.

"Nicolae Ceaușescu was head of state from 1967 to 1989, Romania's last Communist leader." Erik answered. "He was making a speech here when people started booing at him. He wasn't able to control the growing crowd and fled inside a building. He later fled to Snagov and then Târgovişte. He was then charged with a few things and sentenced to death, but firing squad. He and his wife are buried in Ghencea Cemetery, the last people to be executed in Romania before abolishing capital punishment." Erik told her of the history.

"Nicely said, you should be a teacher." Meg said to Erik.

"When did this all happen? Month-wise." Christine asked.

"December...actually he was killed on Christmas of 1989. He was about 71 when he died." Erik answered. "Come on, there's a few places here we can visit and I know one that Christine will love." They walked down the street until coming up to the National Art Museum.

"We're going in the art museum?" Meg asked, taking out her camera to take pictures.

"No, just thought Christine would like to know what it is." Erik said. "Nadir, you want to take this?" He asked his friend.

"Sure…this was actually the Royal Palace, home to King Carol II." Nadir explained the history of Carol II and when monarchy was abolished in 1947. "Now it's the Romanian National Art Museum…Erik don't you have a painting in here?" Nadir asked.

"Nope." He answered quickly.

"What's next?" Meg asked.

"Someone's in a rush." Christine stated.

"Sorry, but shopping is calling my name. Now get your butt over here so we can take a picture today." Meg handed her camera to Erik to take a picture. Once the picture was taken, they continued along the street until coming up to a white building.

"Is it me or does that almost look like the White House back in America?" Christine asked.

"Well it's not the White House of Romania, it's the Romanian Athenaeum." Nadir said to her.

"Which is…?" She asked him. "Remember I've never been here before."

"It's an opera house." Erik answered.

"That's an opera house?" She pointed to the building, making both of the men nod. "Can we go inside?" She asked him like a little kid asking for candy.

"I knew you'd asked, come on." He led them over to the white building. Christine and Meg quickly took pictures of the pillars that stood in front of the entrance. Christine's mouth dropped as she entered, taken away from the beauty. The marble floor had designs on with while the ceiling was a whole different story. The fresco was dedicated to the important moments in Romanian history, telling the story of the country. The gang split up at one point to tour the building. Erik led her into the auditorium and Christine's mouth dropped even lower.

"Oh. My. God." Erik chuckled as he let her taken in everything. Rows and rows of red cushion seats sat in the room with several box seats that look very comfortable. Part of the wall was covered in white brinks until coming up to a mural that ran along the room. As her eyes ran up the wall, the ceiling turned red with gold designs that drew her eyes to the center. Christine must have taken almost a hundred pictures. "This is…unbelievable."

"It truly is; that's why I come here a lot."

"You actually come here?" She asked him.

"Well the composer usually comes to see his work being done."

"Composer?"

"I have composed a few operas that are performed around the world. One of them was actually performed in the Paris Opera House while others are performed in this very room." He explained. "It helps pay the bills, castles are very expensive to keep clean." He teased a bit, making her giggle.

"Are any of yours going on now?" She asked.

"I'm not sure; I haven't been here in a several months. However, I am currently composing an opera for the next season."

"I hope I can come back to here one of them." He smiled at her sentence. "Come on, Meg will be wondering where I am." They walked out of the auditorium and met up with the others in the lobby. "So where to now?" Christine asked him. Erik looked at his phone to see what time it was and realized it was almost noon and he knew they would be hungry.

"How about we grab some lunch?" The girls agreed and they left the building to head to place to eat. Nadir pulled Erik back to talk to him.

"Erik, you haven't drank all day and I know you didn't drink much last night." He pointed out. "How are you going to survive?" He asked Erik.

"I should be fine and anyway, I'm not going to run off and kill someone. This is for Christine and I need to keep this part of my life a secret from her. So if that means not feasting for a day, then so be it." Erik answered.

"Alright, but if you aren't feeling well just say something and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we left early."

"Thank you." They continued down the street until coming up to a restaurant. "How about this place? How hungry are you guys?" He asked them.

"Starving." Meg answered. Nodding, Erik held open the door for them and Nadir asked for a booth. Nadir and Meg sat on one side while Erik and Christine sat on the other. Erik ordered drinks for them except for himself. He told Christine he wasn't very thirsty which was lie since he was starting to get thirsty. He regretted not feasting big last night.

The waiter came back with their drinks and asked what they would like for lunch. Christine had Erik help her decide since she hadn't really learned food yet so he ordered for her while Nadir and Meg were able to order for themselves. To appear normal, Erik ordered a Mici. The waiter took their orders and left the booth.

"What's a Mici?" Christine asked Erik.

"Grilled meat rolls." He answered. "So are you enjoying your tour of Bucharest?" He asked her.

"Yes I am thank you for inviting us."

"Glad you could come, actually both of you." Nadir said the girls.

"Oh why thank you Nadir." Meg put her hand on his shoulder as she smiled at him. He returned her smile and Erik just shook his head. "Ok we have to get a picture together outside the restaurant." She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the booth. Erik and Christine watched as they went outside.

"Does Nadir have a thing for Meg?" Christine asked Erik.

"Guess you could say that."

"Well I think they'd make a cute couple, don't you?" She asked him with a smile.

"Yeah I do…" He looked down at the table.

"Is everything alright?" She placed her hand on his that was resting on the table. He looked up at her, locking his eyes with hers.

"Yeah it's just…hard I guess."

"What's hard?" Before he could answer her question, they heard a crash of glass and turned their heads to see glass all over the floor. Erik's nose inhaled the scent of blood and he saw that the little kid had cut his arm and blood was slowly appearing.

"Oh no…" He could feel himself tensing and was fighting the urge.

"Erik?" The smell of the blood was intoxicating and his thirst for it was overpowering. His closed his eyes so that Christine couldn't see them turning red while his fangs slowly grew. "Erik?" Soon he felt two hands cup his face, feeling them against his skin and mask. She kept repeating his name until finally he opened his eyes.

"What happened?" Nadir asked as he came rushing back over. Christine shrugged, not knowing what's going on.

"Sânge ... sânge ... sânge ..." Erik repeated a few times. Christine looked at him with confused eyes.

"What's he saying?" She asked Nadir.

"Christine, could you let me talk to Erik?" Nadir asked kindly. She nodded and let him sit where she was. She stood next to Meg, watching. "În cazul în care este sânge?" He calmly asked Erik. His eyes motioned towards the direction of the little boy and Nadir understood. He could see the boy now had a bandage on his arm, but there was still a little puddle of blood on the table. A waitress came rushing over to the table to help clean it up. Once it was cleaned up, Nadir sighed in relief.

"Is he alright?" Christine asked him.

"I don't know." Nadir answered as Erik took a deep breath.

"I have to get out of here." Erik finally spoke.

"I can watch over them, you go and meet us later at the car." Nadir said to him, making Erik nod. He got off the seat and stood up. Christine looked at him, wishing he wouldn't leave. Erik looked at her and sighed. Cupping her face with his hand, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. A slight smile appeared on her face. Turning he leave, he rushed out of the restaurant. His legs picked up his pace and before he knew it, he was running down the streets of Bucharest.

Soon the buildings of Bucharest died down and nature took its place. His legs slowed down to a walk until finally stopping. Taking deep breaths, his eyes looked around to see where he was. It wasn't long till he figured out where he was. He would have come to the Cismigiu Gardens when he first moved to Bucharest. He loved the beauty of the gardens and found it very relaxing during stressful times. As he walked through the gardens, his mind wondered as well. He didn't know how long he could keep this secret from her or that fact that he was falling for her as well. He came up to clearing and decided to sit in the grass. Sitting down, he lay down on the warm ground and closed his eyes…

"Erik…Erik…Erik!" He heard a voice shouting his name. Opening his eyes, she saw Stefan standing over him. "Odd place to meet." He looked around at the few people that were walking the gardens.

"Long story." Erik got off the grass and stood up.

"Did you grow?" He asked, looking up at Erik

"No, you just haven't seen me in several decades." Erik answered. "Alright I'm here, what did you want to tell me?" He asked, getting to the point.

"Leila called me a while ago, saying something about a human that has been stealing your attention."

"That's what this is about?"

"Look, I care about her and I know she cared about you very much even before you changed her, she still cares for you." Erik sighed.

"Are you here to make me take her back?" He asked her.

"Will it work?" Stefan asked him.

"No." Erik answered.

"Alright, guess I can't convince you." Erik shook his head. "Well could you let her stay with you until she learns to control her thirst?" Stefan asked. "I'm afraid she would kill us if she moved in with me."

"I understand and yes she can stay until then."

"Thank you Erik."

"No problem." Stefan nodded and turned to leave. Before taking a step, he looked back at him. "See you in hell, Vampire." Erik smirked and smiled.

"I'll save you a spot, Beast." Stefan smiled and showed off his teeth, white and sharp. Turning around, he walked away and soon disappeared. Erik sighed and looked at his phone to see the time. Seeing it has been two hours already, he figured Nadir would probably need to be rescued by now. Dialing his friend's number, he put the phone up to his ear.

"_Thank god, you have to rescue me." _Erik chuckled. "_You owe me for leaving me with two girls."_

"_Oh relax Nadir." _He heard Meg's voice in the background. "_Christine you have to try this one, Erik will love it!"_

"_Meg, when will Erik see that?" _

"_Erik get over here now!"_ Nadir yelled at him. Erik asked him where they were and started walking towards the exit of the park. Several minutes later he arrived at the store where Nadir said they were. Entering the store, he found Nadir over by the fitting rooms with Meg. When Nadir spotted his friend, he let out a sigh in relief and walked over to him. "You owe me a fresh body later tonight." Erik just chuckled, knowing his friend wasn't kidding.

"Erik, you're back!" Meg shouted to him and motioned him to come over. The two men walked over to Meg as Erik looked to find Christine. "She's getting changed. You should see what she is getting, you'll love it." Erik raised an eyebrow, noting knowing what Meg was talking about. Soon Christine walked out, hiding the clothing from Erik so he wouldn't see it.

"Everything good?" She asked him, remembering what happened in the restaurant.

"Yes, thank you. Sorry you had to see that." He apologized. "What are you hiding?" He asked her.

"Something Meg won't let me show you." She looked over at her friend and back at Erik. "Sorry, her rules." Christine walked over to the cashier to pay for the item with Meg.

"Do I want to know?" Erik asked Nadir.

"I shouldn't really tell you since Meg would kill me and I prefer to stay on her side." Nadir answered.

"I see…" Erik raised an eyebrow again, giving Nadir a look. "…are you going to ask her soon?" He asked.

"If I get the courage you, maybe I'll wait till after Christine leaves. But the real question is when are you going to ask Christine, she isn't going to be here forever." Nadir told Erik. Erik was about to say something but Christine and Meg walked up to them with a bag.

"So what's the plan now?" Meg asked. "Are we going to continue to shop or head back to Bran?"

"It's up to you guys." Nadir answered.

"Could we head back?" Christine asked. "I know it's only about three in the afternoon but I'm kind of a little tired."

"It's not a problem." Erik said to her, making her smile. "The car is just a little walk from here." The four headed out of the store and in the direction of the car. As they walked, Erik's hand kept bumping into Christine's until he finally took hers in his. She smiled at him as they continued to walk down the street. Finally reaching the car, Erik unlocked the vehicle and allowed them to get in. Christine took the passenger side while Meg and Nadir sat in the back again. Starting the car up, they made their drive back to Bran.

Around five in the afternoon, Erik pulled into the little driveway of Meg's house. He turned the car off and went to open the door for Christine while Nadir did the same for Meg. They walked up to the door so Meg could unlock it. Meg quickly thanked both of them for the trip and even gave Nadir a quick hug before going inside. Nadir headed back to the car to give Erik a bit of alone time with Christine.

"Thank you for allowing me to come with you and Nadir to Bucharest, it was amazing."

"I'm glad you came and I look forward to seeing what you bought." Her cheeks blush. He took her and placed a kiss on it. "Until next time." She smiled, making him return her smile.

"Tomorrow?" She asked. He thought for a moment before coming up with something.

"Come over to the castle tomorrow, I want to give you a tour of the place." He said to her, making her face light up.

"Really?" He nodded. "I can't wait." She quickly hugged him. His arms wrapped around her, holding her to him. His arms soon loosened around her as he let her step back so she could head inside. Turning around, Erik walked back to the car and got in the driver's seat.

"So…" Nadir waited for it.

"I love her…"

_Romanian to English:_

_Sânge - blood_

_În cazul în care este sânge? - Where is the blood?_

**Awwww Erik loves her 3**

**So all the places mentioned in this chapter are actual places in Bucharest. Sadly I never got to see them when I did live in Romania since I was in orphanage in northern Romania, but the history I know by heart. If you guys want pictures, I can post links on my profile for you (suggestion). **

**Reviews are welcome :)**


	14. The Castle

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I had to finish a term paper for one of my classes, but I finished it and then started working on this. And also, since this chapter is about the castle, literally spent hours on getting information on the castle. The link to a virtual tour of the castle is on my profile is you guys would like to see what Bran Castle looks like. Note: Erik's room isn't what really is in the castle, along with a few other rooms. Enough from me, enjoy this chapter**

Chapter Fourteen: The Castle

Erik sat against the cold cave wall as he listened to the wolf ripping the flesh off the body. He had gotten two fresh bodies for Nadir as a thank-you for shopping with Christine and Meg earlier today. His mind wondered back to earlier when he admitted that he loved Christine and he sighed.

"This is so wrong…" He spoke allowed, knowing the animal was listening but still continued to eat. He might as well continue to talk out loud. "…I mean I'm a vampire, the very creature that feeds on human blood and she's a human. I could kill her if I ever lose control." He brought his knees up to his chest. "She is so pure and innocent while I'm dirty and unclean…" He continued to talk, not realizing the wolf had transformed back into human.

"Maybe you should tell her." Nadir said as he wiped his mouth. "And thank you." He walked over and sat down next to Erik.

"I am not telling her, she'll run back to America and I'll lose her for sure."

"Well she can't really run across the ocean." Erik glared at his friend.

"Remind me again why I'm friends with you." Nadir chuckled.

"Because you would be lost without me." He answered. "Now I know your vampire and you can't change that nor can your father do it."

"Well then he'd be alone forever so I'm sure he's glad I was born like this, but now I wish I wasn't a vampire. I'm a cold, heartless creature who isn't supposed to love."

"And yet here you are, in love with her."

"What do I do?" He asked his friend. Nadir thought for a minute, but shook his head.

"I'm sorry but I don't know. I'm not a vampire; I'm a werewolf so my situation is slightly different."

"It's alright."

"You could ask your father."

"No, I am not. I can't risk that." Erik told him. He let out a sigh and rested his head back against the cave wall. "How am I going to do this?" His eyes started up at the bats hanging down from the ceiling. "I am darkness and she is light."

"She may be the light, but she likes the darkness." Erik looked at his friend, narrowing his eyes. "You know that my family likes to sing at night, right?" He nodded. "Well sometimes I'll be walking by the Giry's house and see her standing at her window, listening to the howling. She seems to love the songs." Nadir explained. "Not to mention she love Phantom of the Opera and he's dark too, just like you."

"I knew I should have never talked to Gaston."

"Hey it made a good story and an amazing musical. I must say that Michael Crawford was really good. Remember when we saw it?" Nadir asked. Erik smirked and nodded.

"I should head back to the castle; I have to get up early to clean the place before Christine comes over."

"Oh yeah, you're going to show her the castle tomorrow. Well good luck." Erik got up and brushed the dust off his pants. He said bye to his friend and started heading towards the castle. As he walked, he kept thinking about her. She would always occupy his thoughts, but now it was all the time. He arrived back as the castle and went straight to his chambers, wanting to sleep and hopefully, never wake again

Erik shot up to the sound of a wolf growling in his ear. Opening his eyes, he saw three wolves standing next to his bed. He recognized one of them as Nadir and figured the other two were members of his family. He groaned and fell back onto the bed. One of the wolves grabbed the fabric of his shirt and began to pull on it.

"Alright, I'm getting up." He growled as he threw the sheets off of him and put his feet on the floor. "Remind to lock the wolf door later today." The wolves growled, making Erik smirk. Rising from the bed, he stood up and took a step, tripping over something. Falling to the floor, he let out a growl and looked so see what he tripped over. His eyes spotted one of the wolves tail by his foot and noticed a smile on the wolves' faces. "I seriously do not like any of you. Now quit playing!" He rose from the floor and stormed into the bathroom. Several minutes passed before he came out of the bathroom, hair wet from the shower. "Alright, let's clean this place up." He walked out of his room with the three wolves right behind him. They spent the next three hours cleaning the entire castle, making sure there is no trace of blood anywhere in the castle.

Christine walked up the long pathway up to the enterance of the castle. She didn't know why she was nervous, she has been here once before. Although that was at night so she couldn't see much of it and while she walked around inside, Erik didn't tell her anything about she didn't see any of the rooms that they passed since Erik had closed all the door. Soon she could see the while walls of the castle. One thing that she hadn't notice before was a crost sitting in front of the towering castle. She wondered what it meant and reminded herself to ask Erik about it. Finally she made it and walked up the stairs to the front door and knocked. One of the double doors opened to show Erik and her cheeks slightly blush. He was wearing black sweatpants that hugged around his wasit perfectly while a black tank fitted his chest. Her eyes gazed over the muscles of his arms and could slightly see the outline of the muscles of his abs.

"Hey…" He greeted her with a smile. "Come on in." He held the door wider for her to enter. Walking inside, she noticed that the place was lighter than she remembered. Then again, it was dark outside and Erik really didn't have many lights on before. The walls were white the like the outside while the floor was brick. There were several pictures on the walls, all in black and white.

"Are those family members?" She asked him as he shut the door. He looked at the pictures, figuring out what to say.

"No…they were here when this place used to be open for tours. I just didn't feel like taking them down." She believed him. "Ok so ready for your exclusive tour? It's been several years since someone has seen the inside of this place."

"I feel so honored." She teased a bit. "But yes I am; I couldn't sleep last night, I was so excited."

"Know how you feel." He said to himself. "So this way…" He led her under an archway that had a unquie design to it and opened it's door. "Ok, there are three ways we can go." She noticed two had stairs and one led outside. "Pick which way, you're the guest." She looked at her options.

"Surprised the Phantom is making me decide." She joked, hoping he would get it.

"Don't get use to it." He joked back, making her giggle and his smile grew bigger.

"What's up those stairs?" She pointed to the set of stairs.

"Come on…" They walked up to the stairs till coming to a door. Erik opened it and let her walk in. "Warning, it's easy to get lost in this castle." He said as he walked through the doorway.

"I can tell." She noticed pictures up on the walls again. "Did you draw these?" She pointed to them. Several of them were artworks of the castle while others were of the village.

"Yep, some of the artwork in this castle are mine while others were there when this castle was used at a tourist attraction." Erik then pointed to a room where they walked in. A wardobe sat against the wall while a table and fireplace were placed in a corner. "Now this room isn't the way to Narnia."

"Oh what a shame." They chuckled. "So what is this room used for then?" She asked him.

"As of now, nothing. I might change into a guest room and put a bed in it. But I'm not sure right now. Since it's just me and Leila, many of these rooms aren't used much." He answered.

"Well maybe when you have a family, then these rooms can get used."

"I don't think I'll ever have a family at this point."

"Why not?" She asked as they walked out of the room and down to a double door that showed a bedroom. Her attention was now drawn to the room instead of Erik's answer. A rug laid in the middle of the room near a small bed that sat by a window. She looked around the room to notice a lot of the things in this room looked like they came from the Middle East. "Whose room is this?"

"Nadir when he decides to stay over which is a lot. So I gave him this room, this is mostly his stuff except for the bed." Erik answered.

"That's nice of you to do that for your friend." A slight smile came on his face. They exited the room and Erik closed the door behind them. They returned to the room with the artwork and Christine ventured towards around till coming to a dead end that gave her the chills. The walls were made of rock with spider webs everywhere. There was a small window at the end, but it still gave her chills. Erik noticed and took her hand, leading her away.

Erik led her out to the courtyard that sat in the middle to the castle. Plant life started to grow around the yard; wherever soil was visible was either a bush or flowers. The ground was made of stone while some of the stones looked at if there were destroyed years ago. Erik pointed out that there used to be a gift shop in one of rooms, however he uses that as storage of all the gifts that used to be sold here. He let her walk around and take in everything. She took some steps that led to another level of the courtyard where a well sat. Coming to a door, she opened it to see a tomb inside. The walls were painted with beautiful colors and noticed a picture of Jesus in the center of the ceiling. Looking down at the tomb, she tried to read what was written on the stone, but noticed it wasn't in Romanian. She turned around and noticed Erik standing outside of the door. He motioned his head and she walked out of the room. He shut the door and locked it, making her wonder. They went up a set of stairs until coming to the second level and Christine went to look down on the courtyard. She followed Erik and noticed a staircase that led up.

"Where does that lead to?" She asked him. He looked at the stairs and then.

"One of Leila's rooms, she has a few here." He answered.

"I thought you guys broke up?" She asked as they walked along the outside of the castle until Erik showed her a room that looked it had a torture case inside of it. "Please tell me this isn't like your Red Room of Pain." He raised an eyebrow, not understand her reference. "Have you ever read Fifty Shades of Grey?" He shook his head. "Oh well then forget I asked…so you going to answer my question?" She asked him.

"We did, but she is staying here until she can find another place to stay." He answered. "This is going to get a little narrow." He warned as they continued to walk. Finally coming up to a door, he opened it. Taking a left, she walked pass a few rooms including Leila's bedroom which Christine was jealous of. It was like she was living as a princess by the looks of her room. She walked out of the room; not wanting to look at it anymore and let Erik led the way till coming to a large room. According to Erik, it was the living room…well one of them, but this one he uses often. Couches sat on one side of the room with a rug while a bearskin rug laid in the middle of the room with a few bookshelves attached to the walls. Leaving the room, Erik decided to show her something that he loved.

He led her around the castle, not stopping until coming to a door and opening it. Her mouth dropped as she stepped out at what was a balcony that overlooked the countryside. She walked to the edge and looked out. Her eyes looked out, seeing part of the village below, along with miles of mountain and trees.

"Wow…not this is beautiful." She turned around to see Erik standing by double door. "What door does that led to?" She asked him, curious.

"My room." He answered and opened the doors. She slowly walked over to him and he stepped aside. Walking inside, her mouth dropped. Her eyes ventured up to look at the ceiling.

"Did you paint that?" She asked, making him nod his head. The ceiling was painted to look like the night sky with a full moon with stars scattered all around. In the center of the ceiling was a chandelier that looked from the movie. She could see it was made up of thousands of crystals with glass around each light. The structure was made entirely out of gold. "Wow…." Her eyes slowly moved down, noticing the walls were made out of stone like the bedroom was located underground inside of a few levels up. Black curtains hung from the ceiling, coming down but never touching the hard floor. A few of them came down along the stone wall while a few helped block the light from the windows. Finally her eyes came to rest on the bed that sat against the wall. Slowly, her leg walked over to the bed till she stood in front of it. The frame of the bed was shaped in a phoenix with its wings spread out like it was flying. It's big wings surrounded the bed that was shaped to fit. Her hand reached down and felt the silk sheets. She could see another set of sheets under it, probably to help keep warm during the cold weather. Those sheets were fleece and black while the silk sheets were red. Pillows sat at the head of the bed, all red. She could tell the bed was comfortable to sleep in and wished she could just take a little nap in it. Looking around the bed, she saw candles that attached to the walls. A little couch sat next to a small bookshelf full of books. A small table and chair, along with a dresser, wardrobe that she assumed had clothes in it and a full length mirror. She spotted a huge fireplace made out of stone as well. A picture hung above the fireplace and she looked at it. The person in the picture looked familiar, but she couldn't figure it out. Letting it go, she turned around to face Erik. "This is seriously your room?" Smiling, he nodded again. "I am really jealous. I live in small house with my dad while you're living in castle, that's not fair. Your dad must have been really rich to leave you this."

"You have no idea." He said quietly. "Would you like to see the bathroom?" He asked.

"Is it going to make me jealous?"

"Probably." He answered.

"I'll pass then since I'm already jealous. Was this room like this before?" She asked, walking over to him. They came to the front door and walked out of it. Christine breathing in the fresh air and

"No it wasn't, I redid the whole thing. Some of the rooms I redid to make it more like home while others I just let them be." He answered. "Come, there's still a lot of rooms to see and the sun will set soon." She nodded and he led her out of the room. They continued to walk down hallways until stopping in front of a door. "You like to read?" She nodded. He opened the door to what she assumed was his library. Walking in, the walls were covered with bookshelves that had every shelf filled with books. Two couches sat in the middle of the room, over a rug that stopped in front of a fireplace. Candles were placed all over the room to give it light while two windows helped bring the sunlight in.

"Now this is a library." She walked up to the bookshelves to look at the books. He had many history books dating back over five hundred years while some were new. She spotted his Phantom of the Opera book and smiled. "You've read this?" She pulled it out and held it up so he could see.

"Yes and I must say, it's one of my favorites." Her smile grew and she put the book back. Walking up to him, she stood in front of him.

"So where to now?" She asked.

"Well since the sun is starting to set, why don't I should the land around the castle since a lot of the rooms left aren't that interesting. Unless you want to see the torture rooms."

"Maybe another time since I do want to see the grounds of the castle." She walked towards the door. Realizing he wasn't behind her, she turned around. "You coming?" He nodded and walked over to her. They walked out of the room and he led her around the castle until coming to the front of the castle. Taking her hand, he led her around until they came to a pathway. They walked down the stone pathway that seemed to lead down the hill that seemed like a mountain to Christine. Erik stopped in front of what looked like an outside theatre.

"A few times during the tours, little shows were performed here."

"Even in rain?" She asked.

"Well the actors would get wet, but they loved the job." He led her away and down another pathway. She noticed how green everything was, happy that Erik took care of the place. Soon they came up to a little lake that had swans and ducks swimming in it. As much as Christine wanted to stop, she knew that she didn't have much time left since the sun was setting and she had to be home when it did. Erik looked at the sun and knew he ran out of time. "I should get you back." She only nodded, not that happy that she had to leave. He led the way around till coming up to the front of the castle and they walked down the long pathway till returning to the village and then to the house. He walked up to the door with her, being a gentleman.

"Thank you Erik, you're castle is really amazing and I'm glad I could see it." She said to him.

"I'm glad you like the castle." He paused for a moment. "Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?" He asked her. Her face light up at his question.

"Like a date?" He nodded. "I'd love to."

"Good, I'll pick you up here around six. Is that okay?" He asked.

"Yes of course." She couldn't stop smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"It's a date." He took her hand and placed a kiss on it. "Until tomorrow." She nodded and watched him walk away until he was no longer visible. She squealed out loud and ran inside.

"Meg!" She yelled out and ran around till she found her friend. "Guess what?" She couldn't hold in her excitement.

"What?" Meg asked eagerly.

"Erik asked me out, I'm having dinner with him tomorrow night at the castle!" Meg squealed, along with Christine, making Annette just smile. Once the squealing settled, Christine ran up to her room to figure out what to wear for her date. After a few hours of looking with Meg's help, Christine finally found an outfit that was perfect. Setting the outfit on a chair, she decided to go to bed. However she couldn't sleep much due to her excitement for her dinner with Erik.

**So you know what happens next...the date. Reviews are welcome :)**

**Oh one more announcement: I'm writing another story, it's called My Bluebird (POTO). it's kind of based off the musical Bluebird that Ramin sang it, check it out if you want. **


	15. The Date

**A/N: so here it is; Erik and Christine's first date...**

Chapter Fifteen: The Date

"Are you completely crazy?" Nadir basically yelled at Erik as he walked onto the balcony where Erik was cleaning. "You invited her over for dinner!" Erik rolled his eyes. "She better not be dinner!"

"You really think I would kill her?" Erik asked him. "I love her. I asked her out to dinner because I want to try to feel normal and when I'm with her, I feel normal. She makes me feel like I'm not this loathsome monster." Nadir nodded, understanding what Erik was trying to say.

"I understand what you're saying, but if I may remind you…you said the same thing about Madeline." Erik stopped and sighed as those memories returned. Madeline had been his first love after he stopped aging and he loved her very much. She loved him in return, accepting his marriage proposal. They were going to get married until Erik decided to reveal his secret to her before the wedding. He remembered that night too well: the sound of her screams as she called him a murderer and monster. If he closed his eyes, he could still see her picking up that knife and slicing her throat, making her bleed to death. He was a mess after that for several decades; always having a different woman in his bed every night until his father made him return to Romania with him. He then tried to stay away from women, unless it was to drink their blood. "Erik…" Nadir's voice brought him back to the present.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Erik asked.

"I was asking what your plan is for this evening." He repeated.

"Dinner on the balcony and then maybe watch the sun set." He answered.

"Oh thank god." Nadir let out a sigh of relief.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Ok well help me get the table and chairs out here." The two of them left the balcony and headed inside to grab a nice table and two chairs. Erik carried the table since it wasn't that heavy to him while Nadir got the chairs. They set the table and chairs down and continued to clean before making a trip to the market for food.

Meanwhile, Christine stood in front of the bathroom mirror, thinking. She had just gotten out of the shower and now was debating what to do with her hair that was still dripping wet. She thought about leaving it down, but knew she would get hot since it was thick and it was summer outside. Without warning, Meg opened the door and walked in with a bag.

"Meg!" Christine tightened the towel around her body. "What are you doing?"

"Oh relax Christine; I'm here to save you." She answered, setting the bag on the counter. "And don't by so shy, I'm sure Erik would love your body if he ever saw it." _He already has seen my body,_ Christine thought to herself. "And besides, by the time I'm done with your makeup and hair, Erik will be begging to have you." Meg teased, making Christine's cheeks blush. She took out several hair products, along with makeup and a pair of earrings that she had gotten from Bucharest. "So I' talked to Erik-"

"You talked to Erik?"

"Well actually Nadir since Erik was fighting with the stove; apparently he and fire don't get along well." Christine smiled a bit. "But I called to find out what you should wear and Nadir asked Erik. He said something nice since Erik took out a suit from his closet. Isn't Nadir nice?" Meg asked.

"Awwww, do I sense a little crush here?" Christine teased a bit.

"Maybe…" Both girls giggled. "Oh did you know Erik has a walk-in closet?" Christine nodded. "How?"

"I said it when Erik gave me a tour of the castle." Christine answered.

"You saw his bedroom?" Christine nodded again. "What's it like? You are so telling me!"

"Meg, I have three hours till Erik will come pick me up and my hair takes at least two hours to do." Christine reminded her friend.

"Oh yeah sorry." Meg went to grab the hair dryer. "But I want all the details after the date." Agreeing, Christine went to sit on the toilet seat while Meg started to work on her hair. It only took Meg thirty minutes to dry Christine hair. Once her hair was dry, Meg grabbed the straightener and started the long process of straightening Christine's long curls. As Meg worked on Christine's hair, Christine talked more about the tour Erik gave her, including the details on his room. Finally her hair was as straight as it was going to get, leaving it a little wavy. Meg then took several strands and started to braid it until getting to the end. She placed the braid across Christine's head, like a headband to help keep her hair out of her face. Once Christine's hair was done, Meg went to work on Christine's makeup. They had about thirty minutes left until Erik would arrive so they didn't waste any time.

Erik walked up to the house, quickly fixing his tie as he approached the door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. It opened and Annette welcomed him inside. He walked in and went to stand by the stairs. Meg soon came down, looking a bit exhausted. However, the moment he saw Christine, his eyes focused on her and nothing else. She wore a navy blue dress that hugged every curve of her body perfectly. The dress showed off her shoulders and arms and came down to her knees. Her hair was brushed back and off her beautiful face. Two chandelier earrings hung from her ears. A big heart bead was surrounded by several smaller water drop beads. When she came down to stand in front of him, he took her hand and brought it up to his lips.

"Ange de beauté." He said softly in French, kissing her hand. Christine blushed, understanding what he said to her.

"Merci monsieur." He smiled at her and held out his arm.

"Shall we?" Smiling, she looped her arm around his and they walked out of the house. Looking forward, she saw two horses attached to a carriage, waiting for them at the end of the driveway. "I thought you might not want to walk up that mountain as you call it in your shoes." She thanked him and got into the carriage. The driver turned around, revealing himself.

"Nadir!" She exclaimed, glad to see him.

"Good evening Christine." He said back to her.

"He insisted on driving to carriage, I had no other choice. Warning, he has never driven this before." Christine giggled a bit and sat back against the seat while Erik put his arm around her. Nadir motioned the horses and the carriage began to move.

"I didn't know you had horses." Christine said to Erik.

"I own a few horses; there is a stable behind the castle. I didn't show you since we ran out of time during the tour and its a little hike from the castle, closer to the village." Erik explained.

"So what is on the menu for tonight?" She asked him.

"It's a surprise."

"Please…" She batted her eyelashes at him and pouted her lips. His eyes moved from hers to her lips, tempted to kiss them.

"And ruin the surprise?" He shook his head.

"You're no fun." He leaned close to whisper something in her ear.

"I can show you how much I can be." Her cheeks redden at his words, sending her thoughts wild. She was afraid to look at him, knowing she would melt if she did. "Phantom got your tongue?" He teased a bit.

"Behave or I'll tell Nadir to turn this carriage back around." She teasingly threatened.

"I can't make any promises on that, but I will do my best."

"Good." Soon the carriage pulled up at the castle and Erik got out first to help Christine. "So which dining room are we eating in?" She asked as he opened the front door.

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"_Close your eyes…_" He repeated, singing this time. She did as she was told and closed her eyes. Taking her hand, Erik led her around the castle, guiding her up the stairs until they reached a door. He opened it and let her through. "You can open them now." Opening her eyes, a gasp left her mouth.

"Erik…" She walked towards the table that was sitting in the middle of the balcony. Two tall candles were lighted with a single red rose sitting in a vase. "This is…" She turned back around to face him. "…who knew you could be this romantic." Smiling, he walked up to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her. She nodded and the two sat down at the table. Christine looked at what was on the menu and saw two steaks.

"You cooked these?" She asked as she took one of the steaks.

"Yes I did, though it wasn't easy."

"I heard." She said as she cut into it, seeing it pink and juicy. She took some of the other food on the table and began to eat. Lifting her cup, she noticed wine inside. "A toast?" Erik took his cup and held it up. "To this night."

"To this night." They click cups and took a sip. Erik set down his cup of blood down, hoping she would never notice it.

"I still can't believe you did all of this. You know pizza and soda would have been fine?"

"I wanted to do something special."

"Well you did." He smiled at her. They continued dinner while Christine asked Erik more about his castle. He gladly told her, along with asking about life in America. Soon dinner was finished, but Erik still had things set of the rest of the evening.

Standing up, he walked over and held out his hand to her. She took it and rose from her chair. He pointed out towards the land, indicating her to look out. Her eyes widen as she looked out onto the setting sun. The sky was painted with colors of the sun while the clouds turned an orange color as the sun moved behind them. The once green land was now mixed with a shade of gold. She had never seen a sunset this beautiful before. As she looked out on the setting sun, she felt Erik move to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her. His fingers entwined with hers as she leaned back against him. Her head gently leaned against his cheek as they continued to watch the sun set over Bran. The sly soon darkened after the sun set, welcoming night. The moon was now visible, shining its light down on the land. Erik felt Christine shiver a bit from the cool Romanian breeze and released his arms. Removing his jacket, he put in on her. She turned around to face him after putting his jacket on. His hand came up to face, gently brushing her cheek. Her lips slightly parted at the touch as his thumb brushed against her soft skin. Slowly, he leaned in closer to her. Her eyes closed as she titled her head up to him. She could feel his breath on her lips, knowing he was close. Finally his lips made contact with hers in a soft kiss.

Her heart soured as their lips touched while her body went weak. Even his gentle kiss was intoxicating her. Her lips were warm compared to his cold lips while also soft as the petals of a rose. His heart went racing inside his chest. She slowly pulled away, leaving him begging for another. Their eyes locked before Christine leaned up to kiss him again. His lips gladly returned the kiss as his hands rested on her waist. Her arms snaked around his neck, bring him closer to her. The kiss began to deepen as her mouth opened to let his tongue dance with hers. The space between them disappeared and soon the world around them vanished as well. He was fighting the urge to pick her up and go into his room; not wanting to move too fast. A small moan left her mouth as she felt his hands touch the skin of her back from the cutouts of her dress. Erik forced himself to pull away, allowing them to catch their breaths. Christine rested her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat fast. His arms held her tight to him, not wanting to let her go. She smiled as she recalled that kiss that just happened. The two stood on the balcony of the castle in each other's arms as the moon shined down on them and wolf howled a song of love…

_French to English translations:_

_Ange de beauté = Angel of beauty_

_Merci monsieur = thank you mister_

**Quick info: Christine's outfit was inspired by Emmy Rossum while Erik just basically wore a suit. And a little part of Erik's long past was revealed...he was engaged at one point. Wonder what Christine will think if he ever tells hers...**

**Hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am, will try and update very soon**

**Reviews are welcome :)**


	16. Love

**A/N: hey everyone, hope you guys are enjoying the story. This chapter, you're going to see Erik's playful side a bit. Also to clarify: Meg and Christine are both 18 so they're adults while Erik and Nadir are in their twenty's. More will be explained as the story continues. So enough from me, enjoy...**

Chapter Sixteen: Love

A soft cool breeze flew over the green yard while the sun warmed the land. A bluebird flew over the open yard, coming up to sit on a branch of a nearby tree. Its eyes gazed down at the two people lying on the grass below. Christine lay peacefully on her sis, using Erik's arm as a pillow to rest her head on. His other arm was around her waist as she lay next to her. Her fingers gently stroke his arm, feeling his cold skin. His cold skin helped keep her cool from the hot sun. Her mind went back to yesterday and smiled at the memory of their date. Turning around, she looked at Erik's sleeping face. She couldn't blame that he was tired, he had been busy the last couple of days. Leaning in, she placed a soft kiss on his lips. Pulling away, she watched as a pair of golden eyes appeared.

"You really know how to wake a man from a good dream."

"Oh I'm sorry…" She teased a bit. "…tell me, what was this dream about?" She asked, smiling at him. He leaned up and kissed gently on the lips as his hand cupped her face. She returned the kiss, glad she was lying down since her body went weak again. Slowly, he moved his body over hers. His hand moved from her face down to her waist to her leg that was bent and settled next to him. His fingers felt the soft skin of her leg, sending shivers up and down her spine. Her hands moved behind his neck to rest in this thick hair. The kiss deepened as he moved his body to cover her fully. His arm snaked underneath her as he rolled over, placing her on top of him. Her legs straddled his waist as she leaned down to kiss him. His hands roamed her back, brushing up her tank top to feel the skin underneath. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she felt his hands on her bare back. She could feel him hardening underneath her, filling her with nerves. He felt her shake a bit and pulled away to look into her eyes. His hand brushed away the hair that had fallen in front of her face as his thumb brushed her cheek.

Her nerves slowly vanished as he softly kissed her again, taking it slow this time. His hands rested at the end of her tank as his fingers slid underneath to touch her skin. Her hands entwined with in his hair, making him softly moan. His hand began to brush her tank up, moving it up her body. Her arms moved from his neck to up in the air so he could fully remove it. He set it aside and kissed her again. His lips moved from hers to her neck, forcing himself not to lose control. A moan left her moan at the new feelings that he was causing her to feel. Erik smiled against her neck when he heard her moan, not bothering to pay attention to their surroundings. Christine heard someone clear their throat and opened her eyes to see Meg standing there, tapping her foot.

"Meg!" Christine's cheeks turned bright red as she realized that her tank was on the ground and was straddling Erik. She quickly grabbed her tank and put it on. She got off of Erik who silently cursed several times and fell back onto the grass.

"So this is what you've been up to all day." Christine's red cheeks turned even redder, realizing she had spent most of the day so far with Erik. "Sorry if I interrupted but Christine is in trouble." She said to Erik who looked at Christine, confused.

"What did you do?" He asked, still laying on the grass.

"Is it because I didn't tell you about the date since I came home late last night and left early this morning?" Christine asked Meg who nodded. Erik still didn't fully understand. "I basically broke one of the rules of sisters." Erik nodded, semi understanding. Christine looked from Erik to Meg, wondering how she knew her way around the castle to find them. "How'd you get here?" She asked Meg.

"Nadir told me of course." Meg answered.

"Of course he did." Erik said to himself. He got off the grass and stood up. "Well I leave you two ladies to talk." Erik said before walking towards the castle. Christine watched him as he vanished inside.

"Alright Christine, spill. I want to know every detail." Meg said as she sat down next to her friend. "First off, where did you guys eat?" She asked.

"Out on his balcony, he set up a candlelight dinner for us."

"That is so romantic; wish my past boyfriends did that for me."

"It was really romantic. He made steak and we even had wine as our drink." Christine went on to explain about the dinner. After dinner is when it really got romantic. We watched the sunset from his balcony; he even let me use his jacket when it got a little chilly. Then that's when he kissed me." Meg squealed.

"You are so telling me, don't leave anything out." Christine giggled and opened her mouth to say something.

"_Nadir!_" The two turned towards the castle where Erik's voice shouted from.

"Do you think Nadir will live?" Christine asked, knowing Erik's voice and could tell he wasn't happy. Before Meg could answer, the spotted Nadir running out of the castle with Erik right on his tail. They two men ran pass the sitting girls, making them both giggle. They decided to follow them to make sure that Nadir will live to see another day.

They could hear the two men yelling to each other in Romanian and walked over to them, seeing them by the small lake that Erik had shown Christine before. Meg came up with an idea and whispered it to Christine. Agreeing with the plan, the two quietly sneaked up behind Erik who was more focus on strangling Nadir than the two girls. Suddenly, he felt someone push him forward, making him collide in Nadir who stepped back to help steady himself for catching Erik. However, he stepped back into the nothing and the two men fell into the water. They both surfaced, gasping for air from the surprise push and soaking wet. They looked up to see Christine and Meg laughing their heads off at the two men.

"Oh it's on." Erik got out of the water and Christine stopped laughing, knowing he was up to something. "Very funny girls, now give me a hug." He started to walk towards Christine who knew what he was up to.

"Oh no you don't." She said as she began to walk backwards. Before he could reach her, she bolted and he ran after her. Meg watched her friend get chased around by Erik and just laughed. "Got you." He finally caught her. Picking her up, he carried over his shoulder. As much as she tried to get free, she couldn't stop laughing. She looked behind her to see Erik carrying her towards the lake.

"Erik, don't do it…" She tried to convince, though she knew he wouldn't listen. Before she knew, he jumped up and landed in the water with her. Once under the surface, he let her go so she could swim to the surface. She came up only to splash Erik in the face. Christine looked over to see Meg who was still drive. "Oh Erik…" She batted her eyelashes at him and motioned to Meg. He nodded and both men came out of the water. Meg immediately stopped laughing and started backing up away from them. She too started to run from them, but they quickly caught her. Erik held her by her legs while Nadir got her arms and they carried her over to the edge.

"One…" They began to swing her with each count. "…two…three!" They threw her into the water before jumping in too. Erik swam over to Christine, pulling her into his arms while Meg basically attacked Nadir, splashing him.

"You're such a meanie." Christine playfully teased him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"As long as I'm yours, I don't care." She smiled and kissed him.

"Get a room!" Meg shouted to them. Christine pulled away and swam over to Meg to splash her. "Oh bring it on!" The two girls began to splash each other while the men just stood back. "Oh let's play chicken!" Meg waved for Nadir to come over to her. "You know how to play?" He nodded and dove under the water to come up back with Meg on his shoulders. "Come on you two." Erik followed and soon Christine was sitting on his shoulders. The two fought against each other, trying to know the other down. Eventually Christine managed to push Meg and threw her arms in victory. Erik sank back into the water, allowing Christine to get off. They four of the continued to play around in the water.

After getting out of the water, Erik led Christine and Meg into the castle to get some dry clothes for them while Nadir just quickly dried off since his temperature was hot, making it easy for him to get dry quicker than Erik. Meg's mouth dropped as she walked through the castle until they came to Erik's bedroom and her mouth dropped even more. She took several moments to look around the room while Erik went into the bathroom to grab some towels for them to dry off.

"I'll go try to find some dry clothes that might fit you guys." He said before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

"God, he's such a gentleman." Meg blurted out loud once he left. "I am so jealous of you. I wish I had a boyfriend like that."

"We haven't made it really official."

"Seriously? You guys were making out when I came; you had your shirt off. He's your boyfriend Christine, even if you haven't said it officially. Oh I'm still waiting to hear about the kiss."

"Which one?"

"There was more than one?" Christine nodded. "Ok you are telling me right now Christine Marie Daae." She used her full name. "Start with the first kiss." Christine let out a sigh as she put the towel down and sat on the phoenix's wing of his bed.

"You know how in movies they always make the first kiss so romantic and it seems so perfect?" Meg nodded. "That's how it was. He was so gentle, yet passionate. I literally almost had to hold on to him because my knees kept shaking. Then the second kiss was a little more passionate." Meg squealed again. "He kissed me one more time when he dropped me off."

"Which was like around midnight." Meg reminded her. "What did you guys do much of the time?" She asked.

"Sat underneath the stars on his balcony." Christine answered. "He brought out a blanket and two chairs for us."

"Ok he seriously needs to the get the Best Boyfriend Award just for that date." Christine giggled. "You know I'm surprised you guys haven't gone really far."

"Meg, we just had our first date yesterday. You don't know sex till after the third date…I think."

"So? Remember Erik is experienced." She didn't think about that. She knew Erik was with Leila for a bit, but never knew how serious it was since Erik never talked about it or any of his past relationships. She only had one previous relationship before Erik, but she didn't go far at all since she wasn't fully ready. However now with Erik, it's completely different. Yes she does love him, but she doesn't know what his feelings are for her. Soon her thoughts were interrupted with a knock at the door. The door opened and Erik came in with a few items of clothing.

"Nadir said you can borrow some of his clothes since mine might be a little too big for you. Um…you can change in the bathroom which is through those curtains." He pointed to the curtain hanging over a doorway. Nodding she walked over to the curtain and vanished behind it. He then turned to face Christine. "You can borrow any of my clothes, I'm sorry I don't have any bras or underwear for you and I'm sure you don't want to borrow Leila's." She shook her head, agreeing with him. "But you are welcome to borrow a pair of my boxers." Smiling, she walked with him over to his closet that Meg had bragged about before. He helped pick out a pair of pants for her, along with a shirt that will cover her up since her bra was soaking wet and she didn't want to wear it. Once she had clothes to wear, he quickly grabbed some for him and left the closet to let her change. She quickly changed into his clothes and inhaled his smell. Smiling, she walked over to the curtain and peeked into the bedroom to make sure Erik wasn't naked. He wasn't, but he was shirtless. His back was towards Christine, but she could see the muscles of his back. How toned and in shape he was. He then started to pull down his back and Christine quickly turned so she could see anymore. Her cheeks flushed red and she tried to not think about it. She was thankful when she heard Meg's voice and knew it was safe. Coming out of the closet, she saw Erik dressed in a pair of cargo shorts with a tan tank on and sneakers.

The three of them went back outside to join Nadir who had apparently gone to the market and grabbed food for them since Erik's kitchen was basically empty. Meg and Christine ran over to him, almost tackling him for the food. Erik just laughed and helped his friend off the ground. He brushed himself off and the two men turned to see them eating way at the food without them. The guys walked over to them who were sitting by a tree. Erik sat down in front of the tree, leaned back against the bark. Christine moved from her spot to sit in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned back against him, still holding on to the sub that Nadir had bought. She took a big bite out of it and watched as Nadir sat down next to Meg who put her legs on his lap as she ate her sandwich. Christine held the sub to Erik, seeing if he wanted a bite which he politely refused since he knew he would hate it.

"So what are you plans for the rest of the day?" Erik asked the two girls.

"I have to clean the house." Erik, Nadir and Meg all groaned while Christine just shook her head with a smile on her face.

"What about you?" He looked at Christine who shrugged.

"If Meg needs help with cleaning, I'll help." She always knew that Meg needed help cleaning the house.

"Actually I'll have Nadir help me." She looked at the man sitting next to her, making Erik try to hide his amusement.

"I hate cleaning." He stated.

"It's true, he was about to go crazy while trying to clean the castle with me." Erik remembered that very well; the three wolves trying to mob and dust was priceless to him.

"You still owe for that." He pointed to his friend.

"I paid you back that night." The two began to argue.

"You guys are like an old married couple." Meg stated, trying to control her laughter.

"No we don't." They said in unison, making Christine and Meg laugh more.

"Ok but seriously, will you help me?' She batted her eyelashes and Erik knew Nadir was gone. He tried not to look at her eyes, but he gave in and agreed. "Thank you." She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Ok let's go, we have a lot to do since we have to clean my room."

"Oh good luck, it's like a war went on in there." Christine teased. Nadir silently groaned as he and Meg stood up.

"See you guys later; don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Meg shouted to them as she walked away with Nadir. Christine rolled her eyes at her friend while Erik just shook his head with a smile on his face. She continued to eat her sandwich till it was all gone. Once her sandwich was done, she turned to face Erik who was looking at her.

He brushed away a strand of hair off her face. She slightly smiled as her mind when back to Meg's conversation with her early. She wanted to talk to him about a few things, but was nervous to say something. She looked at him with nervous eyes.

"Erik…can we talk?" She asked, her voice shaking a bit.

"Of course." He tried to remain calm. "What do you want to talk about?" He asked her.

"How serious were you and Leila?" She finally asked him. She hoped he would tell her since she wanted to know. He sighed and looked away before looking back at her.

"I wasn't planning on proposing to her, if that's what you are thinking. I had mention before that I didn't love her and I didn't. We were serious at one point, but it just started to fade after a bit."

"When was that?" She asked.

"When I met you." He answered. She seemed a bit surprised at that. "I guess you could say I was drawn to you the day you walked into me. Couldn't get you off my mind for days, but I didn't mind at all. That's one reason why I kept going down to the village, hoping to see you again." She smiled at him.

"Well I would walk to the village just so I could see you as well." She told him. "You know…Meg still doesn't know about the portrait."

"Good because I think she'd kill me." They chuckled a bit. "I still have the portrait; it's hanging in the music room still." Her cheeks blushed a bit. "Don't be embarrassed, it's a beautiful painting and you are a beautiful angel."

"Sometimes I still can't believe I did that. My father always told me to only show my body to my husband." Erik nodded.

"Well you have a beautiful body and whoever your husband will be; he will be a very lucky man."

"You think so?" She asked.

"I know so." Smiling, she placed a kiss on his lips. She moved her body a bit till she was straddling his lap again. His strong arms wrapped around her body, pulling her closer to him. She felt him harden against underneath her while his hands started to brush up the shirt she had on. She broke the kiss, but his lips continued to kiss her neck.

"Erik…" She said breathless. "…we should…" She couldn't finish her sentence due to his kisses. Putting her hands on his chest, she pushed him away.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, wondering why she did that.

"I'm a virgin." She confessed to him. She looked away from, feeling embarrassed that she was inexperience compared to him.

"Hey…" His hand came under her chin and turned her head to look at him. "…we can take it slow."

"Really?"

"Of course, I want you to be comfortable and if this is going too fast for you, then I'll slow done. We'll go at your pace." He told her, making her smile.

"Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "Why did you choose me?" She asked him, wanting to know. "I mean you could have stayed with Leila or found someone else, but why me?"

"Because I love you." He answered. A huge smile appeared on her face as her heart leaped when he finally told her.

"I love you too." Now it was his turn to smile. "So I guess this means we're official." He nodded. "Oh wait till I tell Meg, she'll go crazy, crazier then usually…" She continued talk while Erik just listened, smiling at her. His eyes gazed at her lips, wanting so badly to kiss her. Following his heart, he leaned in and kissed her lips, making her stop talking. Her arms wrapped around his neck before she pulled away to quickly say something. "That was rude." He chuckled at that.

"You love me."

"Yes I do." She kissed him once more. His arms still held her, not wanting to let her go. Their kiss continued until their lungs begged for air. Christine shifted her body so she was leaned back against Erik again with his arms still around her. He kissed her forehead as he held his angel in his arms till the sun set over the land.

**Awwww so Erik and Christine are now a couple, wonder if Nadir and Meg will be too...**

**Reveiws are welcome :)**


	17. Date in the West End

**A/N: I am so sorry I haven't updated lately, I was catch up in finals but the good thing is that I finished my finals which means more time to update the stories. Want to thank you guys for sticking to the stories :) Ok don't want to give a long speech so here is the next chapter, hope you guys like it **

Chapter Seventeen: Date in the West End

"_Tra la! It's May!  
The lusty month of May!  
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes  
Blissfully astray.  
Tra la! It's here!  
That shocking time of year  
When tons of wicked little thoughts  
Merrily appear!  
It's May! It's May!  
That gorgeous holiday…"_

Christine sang with a big smile on her face as Erik continued to play his organ. Her eyes darted at the window where she could see the summer weather outside. She kept singing the song, until coming to a small break in the song. Her watched as Erik's skillful fingers danced across the keys of the giant organ. When it came time for her to re-enter, her voice rose as the sound of the organ rose as the song came to an end. Erik stood up and stretched his back, having sat at the organ for a while now. "Can we play another song?" She asked, feeling in the mood to sing today. He quickly checked the clock that hung between a trumpet and tuba and nodded, seeing how it wasn't close to noon.

"What would you like to sing?" He asked, sitting back down on the organ bench. She thought of a few songs that she would like to sing today.

"Do you know the 'Sound of Music'?" She asked him.

"Of course." He turned his attention to the keys and began to play the beginning of the song. She smiled as she waited for her cue, always loving the chance to sing when he plays.

"_The hills are alive  
With the sound of music  
With songs they have sung  
For a thousand years…"_

Her mind filled with the images of the Romania; finding herself singing of the hills of the land. For a few weeks now, she had been in the mood to sing about the landscape, sing about its beauty. Soon the song ended and Erik looked at her.

"Sounds like you were singing about Romania." He said to her.

"How could you tell?" She asked.

"I have my ways and also because it's happen to me when I first moved here." He answered. "Now one more song and then rest, you don't want to overwork your voice."

"Fine…how about you sing one song with you?" She asked him. "I won't have to sing a passionate song since I know you won't be able to control yourself." She teased him a bit.

"Is that a challenge?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe…" She said with a smile.

"I accept that challenge, but will do it after lunch. Now what song?" She shook her head and picked a song. Erik played the song and she sang the words to it. Once the song was over, Erik needed a break since his back was getting stiff from sitting at the organ all morning and that bench was not the most comfortable to sit on for long periods of time.

For lunch, Erik decided to take Christine into the village. He needed to get away from his castle for a bit since he knew Leila was planning on having a friend come over for several hours. They walked down to the village together until Christine spotted Meg at the café where she used to hang out with Erik.

"Meg!" Christine shouted. Meg looked up and squealed before sprinting over to them.

"Thank god, I was getting a little uncomfortable over there."

"Why's that?" Christine asked.

"Some guy kept trying to ask me out. He has a thing for blondes." Meg rolled her eyes. "He's traveling around Europe with a school group and one of their stops is here because of the castle, though they are very disappointed that there are no more tours." She looked at Erik. "I almost said that I know the person who owns the castle, but then that would mean I'd have to talk to him more and I don't want to you."

"Wait a minute…you kept bugging me about going after Erik and yet you remain single and say no to every guy."

"First off, you're only here for the summer and you don't know how to have fun with a guy. Erik here…" She pointed to Erik. "…is the definition of fun and also 'sexy god'." Erik raised an eyebrow at Meg. "Oh come on, people call you that all the time."

"It's true…" Christine nodded. "…they do, even I do."

"Exactly, now back to what I was saying…I'm not calling your ex-boyfriend boring, but he seriously was. I mean you just hung out at each other's houses. Yes you spent your first date at Erik's place, but his place is a freakin' castle!"

"Meg, we were like freshman in high school when we started going out."

"Yeah and you've dated till your senior year and you've gone farther with Erik in just two days then you did with him in four years." Meg explained. "By the way, have you even told your dad about Erik?" She asked Christine. Meg knew how strict and protective Christine's father is, a part of the reason why Christine never really had many boyfriends.

"Nope, he doesn't know." Christine answered.

"Why not?" Meg asked.

"Many reasons which I'm sure Erik doesn't want to hear." Christine answered again.

"Well maybe you should mention it because it's not good to keep a secret from your family, especially one like this. Believe, I know." Erik said to her.

"And what secret are you keeping?" Meg asked him.

"Several and my father doesn't know about Christine. I believe he still thinks I'm with Leila." Erik answered.

"Wanna have lunch?" Meg asked, randomly. "I'm starving."

"Of course." She turned to look at Erik. "Do you mind?" She asked him.

"Of course not." She smiled as he quickly kissed her lips. "I'll see you later." He said as he turned to leave.

"Bye sexy." Meg said to him, making him chuckle.

"Bye cutie." He said back, making Meg giggle. Christine playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head. The two of them left the village to head back home. When they arrived, Annette had just finished making lunch. The three of them ate lunch at home until Christine decided to go find Erik and headed to the castle.

Meanwhile Erik lay on the green grass a few miles away from the castle. The hot sun helped warm his cold skin as he inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the fresh summer air. His eyes closed, suddenly feeling tired. Dreams of a normal life filled his mind as she drifted off into sleep. He didn't know how long he was sleeping until he felt someone trying to wake him. He groaned and rolled over onto his side, not wanting to wake up. He heard a soft sigh and knew it was Christine. Rolling back on his back, he opened his eyes to see Christine sitting next to him.

"Good afternoon." She shook her head.

"More like 'good evening', it's almost five o'clock." She corrected him. He shot up, blinding himself due to the sun's rays. "Come on, you have to clean up."

"Why?" He asked, unsure what's going on.

"Apparently Leila invited a friend over and she wants to have dinner with you and Nadir; like a double date."

"But I'm not with Leila anymore."

"She said that you owe her this one."

"You talked to her?"

"A little, she was rude of course but didn't attack me." She answered. "It's just one night, I won't get mad. Just don't kiss her and I won't have a problem. I'm the only one you're allowed to kiss." He smiled, making her smile.

"Yes ma'am." She placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Go, you have clean up."

"Come with me to the castle."

"Do you think it's safe?" She asked him.

"I'll protect you." Knowing he would, she agreed to go back to the castle with him. When they arrived at the castle, Erik made sure that Leila and whoever she invited over weren't around to see Christine. They walked up to Erik's room where he knew she would be completely safe. She sat on his bed while he took a quick shower. Her eyes gazed down at the sheets and was tempted to lay down on them. Before she could lie back, he came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Christine's mouth dropped as she looked at him. His strong bare chest was covered in muscles, definitely giving him that sexy god look. His body was still a little wet, making him even more irresistible. "Still want to take it slow?" He asked, smiling at her.

"I'd be lying if I said yes." She kept locking at him. He chuckled and grabbed a pair of boxers before walking over to her. Leaning down, he kissed her on the lips. Her hands reached up and felt the muscles of his chest. He tensed at first, but his body soon relaxed. He slowly lowered her onto the bed, covering her body with hers. She felt his body on top of hers as her hands moved to his back. Her hands accidently loosen the towel, almost making it slide off of him.

"Erik are you-oh!" Nadir came in, but now regretted it. Christine swore she heard Erik growl as he rolled off of her, making sure the towel still covered him. "I am truly sorry." He quickly apologized.

"Learn to knock!" He yelled at Nadir as he stood up. Christine's cheeks turned red, but couldn't help but giggle. Erik grabbed his boxers and walked over to the closet to change. Nadir looked at the embarrassed Christine.

"He wants to kill, doesn't he?" He asked her.

"Probably." She nodded. Erik came out of the closet, fully dressed in nice dark jeans a navy blue polo shirt. His hair was combed back in a Phantom style and he switched his white mask to a matching navy blue one.

"Now what do you want?" He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, putting on a pair of shoes.

"Leila invited Cathy." Erik's head shot up at the name.

"Crazy Cathy?" He nodded.

"The very one." Erik groaned.

"Who's Crazy Cathy?" Christine asked, using the nickname.

"One of Erik's ex-girlfriends before Leila." Nadir answered. "They only lasted about a month since she started to get too attached to Erik and he hates that."

"So…you're basically having dinner with two of your ex-girlfriends." Christine stated. "How many girlfriends did you have before me?" She asked him. He could tell she was getting jealous, but didn't want to make her mad by pointing it out. He was afraid to answer that question.

"Will I be in trouble if I don't answer that?" He asked her.

"You'll be in trouble no matter what." She answered back.

"I've had a few girlfriends before you. Usually I don't talk or seem after the breakup; however Leila is different since she has no other place to go." He told her. "Look, I didn't know about this dinner or who she was inviting here. I'm as clueless as Nadir is about this."

"I guess I could forgive you then."

"Thank you." He placed a kiss on her lips.

"Nadir, keep an eye on him tonight." She hopped off the bed and walked towards the door.

"Will do." He said to her.

"Bye guys." She walked out of the door. Wondering around the castle, she walked pass a room where Leila and Cathy were talking. Peaking in, she noticed how beauty Cathy was, making her jealous. She wondered why both of his ex-girlfriends are so beautiful, but she then remembered how handsome he is. Shaking her head, she walked pass the door and found her way to the front door. She walked back home and tried to take her mind off the dinner that Erik is having. She put on some music as she decided to go through her belongs.

Christine woke the next morning the loud squealing that she knew was Meg. Groaning, she put the pillow over her face and tried to go back to sleep. She hadn't slept well at all last night and wasn't the most pleasant person now. The door soon opened and she heard Meg run over to the bed, jumping on it to wake Christine up.

"Guess what!" She basically shouted. Sighing, she removed the pillow from her face and sat up on the bed.

"What?" She asked.

"Nadir asked me out." Now it was Christine's turn to squeal.

"It was about time."

"I know, he told me that Erik kept bugging him about it. We're all going out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes tomorrow, on a double date. I asked if that was okay and Erik agreed."

"Erik's here?" She asked Meg.

"Yep, he's in the living room with Nadir. I tol-" Christine jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. Rushing down the stairs, she ran into the living room and saw Erik and Nadir standing by the couch. The two men turned to see Christine who ran over to Erik whose arms were already for her to hug him.

"Don't worry Christine; he behaved very well last night." Nadir assured her.

"Good." She pulled away from him. "So you finally asked her." He nodded, making her smile and quickly hugged him. "So where are we going tomorrow?" She asked them as Meg came in the living room.

"Erik and I have that all planned out. Just be ready by six and also pack a few things, we won't get back till Sunday night." Nadir told them. Now they were really excited since they were going to go somewhere for the date.

"Where are we going?" Meg asked,

"That is a surprise." Meg groaned.

"Forget about trying to get them to tell, they won't tell. Even batting the eyelashes doesn't work on Erik." She looked at Erik who smiled proudly.

"Yeah but it works on Nadir like a charm." She started to bat her lashes at Nadir who had to look away so he wouldn't tell. The two giggled as Erik chuckled a bit.

"Alright, we have to go pack as well so we'll let you guys pack and also change." Erik's eyes scanned Christine, noticing she was wearing a nightshirt from Victoria's Secret. "So we will see you at six." The nodded and began to walk towards the door. "Oh bring something nice to wear." He quickly reminded them before the two men left. Christine and Meg squealed and jumped up and down once the men left. They rushed upstairs and each grabbed a suitcase to start packing for the next two days. They spent the next several hours figuring out what to pack and also what dress to bring. Christine changed out of her nightshirt into a pair of sweatpants and tank so that way she would be comfortable for when they travel.

Finally, six o'clock came and Erik pulled up to the house. He and Nadir walked up to the door and went to knock, but the door opened and Meg was pulled her suitcase. Nadir offered to help, which she gladly accepted. He went to lift her case and wondered why it was so heavy. However Christine's suitcase was even heavier, but not too heavy for Erik. They put their cases in the trunk and all of them got into the car. Erik started to drive away from Bran and got onto the highway towards the airport.

"Erik….where are we flying to?" Christine asked him.

"I can't tell or Nadir will actually kill him." He said, remembering the time he got Nadir mad at him and almost didn't make it out alive. "Just be patient and you'll find out soon enough."

"Fine…" He chuckled as he continued to drive on the highway. Meg started to talk about a few celebrities that she loves while Nadir checked his phone for messages. Erik listened to them talk about their famous crushes and just ignored it. After about two hours of driving, they finally made it to the airport. Erik parked the car and helped get the luggage out of the trunk. Meg and Christine stood by and watched the men try to get their out of the trunk. Once the luggage was out, they walked into the airport and checked in. Christine was first and so, she learned where they were going. "We're going to England?" She asked as she looked at her ticket.

"Correct, we'll be there this whole weekend." Erik answered.

"Wow, you guys definitely get the Best Boyfriend of the Year Award." Meg said as she got her ticket. Once they got their tickets, they went through security and then over to their gate. When they got to their gate, Nadir and Erik went to use the restrooms while the girls guarded their stuff.

"So how are you managing to leave the country since you technically can't?" Nadir asked Erik as they walked to the restrooms. "Thought vampires couldn't leave their home country."

"Unless they take the soil from their country with them and I currently have dirt in my shoes so I can fly on the plane. But we're staying at my father's place he got in London, nice little cottage and that is made with wood only from Romania so I will be fine." Erik explained. They entered the bathroom and paused their conversation. Once they were finished, they walked out and back over to the girls.

They soon boarded the plane and were off to England. All four sat in the middle of the plane so they could seat together. Meg pulled out a magazine while Nadir read a book in Arabic. Christine and Erik played chess with a little board. After the third lost, Christine gave up. Sighing, she pouted her lip at him. He chuckled and brought out a different game; cards.

"Oh can we play?" Meg asked as she noticed the cards. Erik nodded and the four of them started to play several card games like war, 'go fish' and even poker. After several hours, the plane finally landed in England and they got off. Once they had their luggage, Erik went to pick up a rental car that they would use. Putting their belongings in the trunk of the car, Erik turned the car on and they headed to their designation.

"So um where are we staying at?" Christine asked as she sat in the back with Meg while Nadir helped Erik with the directions and also how to drive in England. As they drove, Christine and Meg looked out of their windows to see the land. After several hours, Erik finally pulled into the driveway of the cottage. Christine and Meg got out of the car to look at the place and their eyes widen. The outer walls were made out of stone with a few wines climbing up the walls. "You own this?" Christine asked him as he came to stand next to her.

"Yep, I thought it would be nicer to have a little cottage in England. Reminds me a bit of Bran so I don't get homesick." He explained. "Come, let me show you two around the place and then we can decide on rooms, though the master bedroom is mine." He claimed. He led the three into the cottage and set the suitcases down so he could give a quick tour of the place. "Ok there's a living room, sitting room, kitchen, four bedrooms and a family bathroom." He quickly told them. "I'll show you guys the bedrooms and then you can decide on which one you want." Christine secretly hoped that she could stay in a room next to Erik's. They quickly started the tour of the cottage, seeing every room. Once they were shown the rooms, they decided on which one they would get. Nadir decided to take the guest room what was downstairs, allowing Christine and Meg to take the other two rooms besides the masters which was Erik's.

Christine set her very heavy suitcase on the bed and opened it. She liked that she got a room to herself, though she wasn't sure how she was going to like it sleeping alone. She figured she'll just put on some soft music when going to bed. As she started to unpack, she heard someone knock on the door. Turning, she saw Erik standing in the doorway and smiled.

"You like your room?" He asked her.

"Yes it's very nice." She answered as she put her clothes in the small dresser. "Though I must say, I have a small fear of cottages."

"Why's that?" He asked, titling his head to the side.

"Scary movies that involved cottages or cabins." She answered. "Guess you can say I'm not a big fan of horror, but darkness I like."

"Well would you feel safer if you stayed with me in my room?" She paused her unpacking and stared at him.

"You mean share the same bed as you?" He nodded. "Together?"

"Yes…" He nodded again. "You wouldn't have to worry, we're taking this slow remember?" She nodded, regretting that a bit now. "So would you like to share my room?"

"I'd love to." He smiled and helped her move her things into his room which was better than hers. Once they finished unpacking their things, Christine went to sit on the bed, feeling the sheets under her fingers. Erik had gone into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

"Damn, this room is nice." She looked to see Meg walking in. "So you like your room?" She came over and sat on the bed next to Christine.

"Well…Erik offered to share his room with me." Christine told her.

"Seriously?" She nodded and Meg gasped. "Oh my god, you're gonna do it!" Meg's voice rose a little for Erik to hear.

"I don't think so, we're taking it slow."

"Seriously? You have a sexy god as your boyfriend and you're taking it slow?" Meg asked. "Christine, I love you and I know you're a virgin, but he's basically walking sex!" The bathroom door opened and both girls turned their heads to look at Erik. "You heard that, didn't you?" She asked him, making him nod and her cheeks turned red. "I should really learn to keep my voice down."

"Ya think?" Christine asked.

"Well I'll just be going to bed now." Erik hadn't realized how late it was even though Romania was ahead of England. "Night you guys." Meg hopped off the bed and skipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"You know, I feel bad for Nadir now." Christine said, making Erik chuckle.

"I'm sure Nadir will be fine, he can handle himself." He noticed Christine yawn. "We should get some sleep, tomorrow is a long day."

"What are we doing tomorrow?" She asked him as she got off the bed and went over to the dresser to pull out a nightshirt.

"We'll be in London most of the day, actually all the day." He told her as he quickly changed in his lounge pants and tank. He turned around so she could change as well. When she was good, she went over and hopped onto the bed. He chuckled a bit and climbed under the covers. "You might want to get some sleep; it's going to be a long day tomorrow." Nodding, she pulled the covers over her body.

"Night Erik."

"Night." He said back as she lay on his back, his hand behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He soon felt Christine move closer to until her head was resting on his chest. Smiling, his arm wrapped around her as they soon drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, Christine woke to the smell of food cooking. Opening her eyes, she noticed Erik wasn't there. She sat up and saw a note on the nightstand by the bed. She reached for it and read it, seeing it was from Erik; saying he got up early to make breakfast for everyone. Smiling, she got out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen where she found Erik. Meg was sitting on the counter with a coffee mug in her hands while Nadir was making some eggs for her. Erik walked over to Christine, placed a kiss on her forehead before handing her a mug as well.

"Good morning." He greeted her. "Your breakfast will be coming up as soon as Nadir figures out how to cook Meg's." She smiled at him.

"What is he trying to make?" Christine asked.

"Omelet I think." He answered before going over to help his friend. Christine walked over to Meg who was already dressed and ready to go. Finally Nadir finished the omelet and gave it to Meg. Erik asked what Christine wanted and began to make it for her.

"So what are we going to be doing in London?" Meg asked Nadir as Erik made Christine's breakfast.

"Figured we'd walk around a bit, maybe see the sights before the surprise." Nadir answered. Erik finished Christine's breakfast and handed her the plate of food. He then quickly grabbed a bottle and opened it, letting the smell of blood fill his lungs. He drank the whole thing, knowing it would hours till he could drink again. He kept his eyes closes as he drank, not wanting anyone to see his red eyes. Finishing up the bottle, he threw it in the trash. Christine soon finished breakfast and went to change quickly before they left for London which was a few hours away.

When they finally reached London, Erik parked the car and they got out. As Nadir said before, they started walking around until Meg spotted the London Eye. Erik quickly went to grab tickets for them and soon they went in the London Eye. They soon reached the peak and Christine pulled out her camera to take pictures. Her eyes scanned the city that seemed to stretch out for miles. She got a few pictures with Meg before the wheel started to move again. Coming back down to the ground level, Erik looked at his watch to see the time.

"You guys want to see the changing of the guard?" He asked and they both nodded. "Well we better hurry if you want a good spot to see it." They rushed over to Buckingham Palace just as the changing of the guard started. Christine tried to see over the people in front of her, but she wasn't tall enough. "Here…" He lowered himself a bit so that Christine could climb onto his back. Standing up, she towered over the people and began to watch the guards as they walked down the street. Once the show was done, the idea of lunch came to their minds. They found a nice little place to eat lunch, though Erik didn't have anything but his thirst for blood was low since he drank this morning. Lunch was over and Erik decided to take Christine over to the Tower of London while Nadir took Meg over to a little shopping area that wasn't far away from the Tower of London. The two arrived and wondered around while Erik told stories of the prisoners. Coming to Salt Tower, Erik sensed that they weren't alone in the empty tower.

"Isn't this tower supposed to be haunted?" Christine asked.

"Yes…" His eyes wondered around as if looking for something. Seeing nothing, he ignored the sense and followed Christine out of the tower over to the Crown Jewels. After seeing the beautiful jewels, they left the tower to meet up with Nadir and Meg by the car.

"So how about we change for the surprise?" Nadir suggested. Erik had put a set of clothes for everyone in the trunk so they could change right away and not have drive all the way back to the cottage. They changed in the bathroom of a small store and put their other clothes back in the car.

"Ok tell me, what is the surprise?" Meg asked, wanting to know. Erik and Nadir looked at each and Nadir pulled out four tickets. "We're going to see a West End show?" She asked more excited now.

"Not just any West End show, but Phantom of the Opera." He answered, making both girls squeal out loud. "But we have to head to the theatre now." Nodding, they walked over to Her Majesty's Theatre and walked inside. Christine and Meg couldn't hide their excitement as they walked to their seats, a box on the side that reminded them of Box Five. As they waited for the show to start, Christine looked over the cast to see if anyone she knew was in it. Soon the music began and the lights went dim. Her eyes were glued to the stage as the prologue began. When the chandelier appeared, her hearted started racing as it rose from the stage to hang above the audience. During Think of Me, she pictured herself on that stage singing that song. Once the title song started, she closed her eyes and imagined herself singing that song as well, but with Erik as her phantom. During Music of the Night, Christine recalled Erik singing that song and how his voice soured during it. To her, he was the Phantom and she was his Christine. She continued to watch the show, never taking her eyes off the stage. The show continued and at one point, Erik laced his fingers with hers. She leaned against him and smiled. Christine mind went back to their version of Past the Point of No Return and her cheeks blushed. Erik noticed and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. The performance soon ended and the theatre started to clear out. After a long day, Christine and Meg were ready to call it a night.

Erik started a small fire to help heat up the bedroom from the cool England night. Christine was changing in the bathroom as he finished the fire. She came out in a part of shorts and tank while Erik wore a shirt and lounge pants. She saw him sitting by the warm fire and walked over to sit next to him. He pulled up a blanket to help keep her warm as she snuggled next to him.

"Did you have fun tonight?" He asked, kissing her head.

"Yes I did, it was a wonderful double date." She smiled. "Thank you for taking me to see Phantom."

"I knew you would love it and also that Meg would love London." Christine nodded before sighing. "Hey…" He moved away a bit to look at her. "…what's the matter?"

"I just don't want this to end." He narrowed his eyes, not sure what she meant. "I mean when I have to leave at the end of the August, what will happen to us?" She asked him. He sighed and looked at her. He knew he can't live in America while he was a vampire and he wouldn't change her into a vampire. "I don't want to ruin this perfect weekend, but summer will end soon and I'll have to leave…I don't want to leave."

"I know you don't; I don't want you to leave either." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "But let's not think about that right now." She only nodded. "Come to bed?" She nodded again and they rose from their spot to walk over to the bed.

"Erik…" He stopped and looked at her.

"Yes?" She didn't respond, but kissed his lips instead. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. Her hands moved down his chest until coming to the end of his shirt and started lifting it up until she fully removed it from his body. They roamed across his strong chest as his hands grabbed the back of her tank and ripped it, letting the fabric fall to the floor. Picking her up, he carried her to the bed and gently rested her on the sheets. Joining her on the bed, their skins touched. They felt a wave of passion flood their bodies at the touch. Her hands rested on the top of his pants, wanting him to take them off. Obeying her command, he got off the bed and removed his pants, but kept his boxers on. Before joining her back on the bed, he quickly rid her of her shorts, leaving her in her underwear. He joined her back on the bed, kissing her passionately on the lips. He pulled away, letting them catch their breaths. He lay down next to her, lying on his side. She turned to press her back against his chest. An arm came around and entwined its fingers with hers. Smiling, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep in his arms.

**Reviews are welcome :)**


	18. Planning the Surprise

**A/N: I am so sorry I haven't been updating in weeks, I was caught up in work but I have got two weeks off so I'm hoping to updating all the stories. This chapter is pretty short but the next one will be longer, I promise. **

Chapter Eighteen: Planning the Surprise

A soft breeze flew over the castle, cooling the hot air around the castle. Christine and Meg lay out in Meg's backyard, letting the sun shine down on them. They had just gotten back from England yesterday and were happy to be back despite not being able to see Erik or Nadir. Erik had said something about visiting his dad for a few days and somehow Nadir agreed to go along, leaving Meg and Christine by themselves for a few days until the men return. As much as she wanted Erik to be back right now, she knew she wanted him to enjoy his time with his dad.

"What are we going to do for your birthday?" Meg broke the silence. Christine had forgotten that her birthday was in a few days.

"I don't think anything. I mean all of our friends and your family is back in America and our boyfriends are away for a few days."

"How cool is this…we both have boyfriends and they just happen to be best friends themselves like we are…isn't that cool?" Christine couldn't help but laugh at Meg's comment. "But we should do something; I mean you are turning nineteen."

"Like what?"

"We could have a girl's day…get our nails done, hair, everything…"

"You have money for that?" Christine asked.

"Yep I could just ask Erik and I'm sure he'd pay for it." Christine rolled her eyes, knowing Erik would do that if Meg asked. "Don't worry, I won't ask Erik. I have plenty of money saved up and I don't mind using it on your birthday." Sighing Christine agreed, making Meg happy. Though she didn't know that Meg's plan was just a diversion to what was really being planned for Christine's birthday.

"May I ask why you lied to Christine and Meg?" Nadir asked as he and Erik walked through the market in Bucharest.

"Because I couldn't tell her that I'm planning a surprise for her birthday. That would ruin it." Erik answered as he looked at the selection of fruit. He knew Christine loved strawberries and grabbed some.

"So what exactly is your plan for her birthday?" He asked as they moved away from the fruit.

"Well I was thinking of taking her back to the cottage for a few days, just us two since last time we all came and didn't get much privacy." Erik explained.

"You aren't planning on changing her, are you?" Nadir asked a little worried.

"No I'm not…I just want to make this special for her since we don't have much time left before she leaves."

"Well just as long as you don't make her a vampire, got it?" Erik chuckled a bit.

"Yes sir…" They continued to walk through the food market, looking at some food to take along. For several hours, the two men shopped at the market. Once the shopping was over, Erik and Nadir headed back to the hotel room that they booked for a few days to plan Christine's surprise birthday. While Erik kept planning everything over the phone, Nadir talked to Meg about distracting Christine.

The next two days, Erik planned everything for the surprise. Finally he was able to return and tell Christine his plan. After driving back to the village, Erik went over to the Giry's. Walking inside, he quickly got attacked by Christine. Her arms quickly wrapped around him, hugging him tight.

"Don't ever go away again." Smiling, he wrapped his arms her, hugging her back.

"Well that's what I came to talk to you about."

"What do you mean?" She looked up at him.

"Well I know your birthday is in a few days…" She nodded. "…and Meg isn't taking you for a girl's day."

"She isn't?" Erik shook his head.

"She isn't, it was a distraction for the real surprise which is…I'm taking you back to the cottage in England for a few days." He told her. A huge smile formed on her face as she squealed loudly.

"Oh my god! Are you serious?" He nodded; making her smile grew even more. "When are we going?" She asked.

"In two days we'll be boarding the plane to England." He told her. Her arms flew around him again, smiling big. She was too excited to think about anything but spending a few days alone with Erik.

The next two days, Christine spent most of the time with Meg. The first day they spent time in the village and then Meg took her to Bucharest for some shopping. Christine knew Meg was planning something.

"Alright Meg, what are you planning here?" She asked as they walked through the mall.

"Well since you're spending a few days alone with your boyfriend I thought I'd take you to get some proper clothes." Meg answered.

"Proper clothes?" Christine asked, but Meg didn't answer and point to a lingerie store. Christine's eyes widen and mouth dropped. "Are you crazy Meg?"

"Oh come on, you're going away with him." They walked into the store and started looking around. "I mean…you guys have moved pretty fast already and I can tell you love him so much. You don't have to have sex, but at least look good at night." Rolling her eyes, Christine started to wonder if she was really ready.

"Do you think I should?" She asked Meg.

"Do you think you're ready for it?" She asked Christine." It's a big thing and you need to make sure you're completely ready for it. Are you ready for it?"

"I think so…I mean I love him very much and everything feels just right with him."

"Maybe you should talk to him about it." Christine nodded and looked at the clothing. Though she did try the items on, her mind kept wondering to whether or not she was ready. She knew that he would respect whatever she would decide. Leaving the mall, the girls head back to the village to help Christine pack for her trip to London with Erik.


	19. London with Erik

**A/N: alright so here's the next chapter. If there are any errors, I apologize. Hope you enjoy the story and will update soon. I'll also try to update White Mask and Bluebird this week**

Chapter Nineteen: London with Erik

The early morning of the flight, Erik picked up Christine from the Giry's house and they headed to the airport. Once their luggage was check and they went through security, they waited at the gate for the plane. Erik could tell something was on Christine's mind, but he didn't ask, knowing she'd tell him at some point. As they waited, Christine pulled out a little journal that she bought before coming to Romania that had every detail about her feelings for Erik. She started writing in a few things before they called for people to board the plane. Once they were on the plane, Christine quickly grabbed a pillow and set it on Erik's shoulder. Smiling, he put blanket on her and let her use him to sleep on. For the next several hours, Christine slept on Erik's shoulder while he read a book he picked up in Bucharest. Once they landed, Erik woke her up so they could get off the plane and grab their luggage. After grabbing their luggage and headed over to grab a rental car. The drive to the cottage was long and Christine slept most of it while he drove to the cottage.

Arriving at the cottage, Erik once again woke Christine so they could take the luggage inside and get settled in. Erik offered to have Christine stay with him in his room, but Christine decided to take the guest room. While unpacking, Christine's phone rang.

"Hello?" She pressed the speaker button so she could continue unpacking.

"How's England?" Meg asked over the phone.

"Cloudy as normal but good."

"How's Erik's room?"

"I'm not staying in Erik's room…I'm in the guest room just a few doors down." She knew Meg wouldn't be happy with that.

"Seriously? You slept in his room before with him, why aren't you again?" She asked, making Christine sigh.

"I'm nervous of what might happen. I mean I know we've slept in the same bed before..."

"Christine I love you but seriously he cares for you so much that he won't try anything without you agreeing to it." Meg told her just as Erik came in the room.

"Meg…I have to go, Erik just came in."

"Alright, be safe." Christine rolled her eyes, blushing as Erik just smiled bit. Hanging up the phone, she turned to look at Erik.

"Gotta love Meg…so is there something you wanted?" She asked him. He didn't answer but held out a tug of Ben and Gerry's ice cream in one hand and Titanic in the other hand. Squealing loudly, she hugged him almost making him drop the ice cream. "Movie night!" She quickly ran into his room and hopped on his bed, waiting for him. Walking into his room, he handed her to the ice cream and a spoon while he set up the movie. By the time the movie started, Christine was already half way done with the ice cream. They sat on Erik's bed, watching the movie. At one point, Christine pulled the covers over her to get warm. Soon she fell asleep in the bed just as the movie was ending. Erik quietly got off the bed, leaving the room so she could sleep. That night, he went out in search of food. After spending hours hunting, he returned to the cottage and slept in one of the guest rooms while Christine took his.

Early the next morning, Christine woke to the sound of piano playing. Sitting up in bed, her eyes looked around to realize she was in Erik's room and Erik was nowhere to be found. Putting her feet on the floor, she quietly walked out of the room and towards the sound of the piano. Coming up to what seemed a music room, her head peaked in to see Erik sitting at the piano.

"_Ea este, Deci, neputincios şi gol_

_Lasă-mă în braţele tale, esti scopul meu, dorinţa mea_

_Sângele ei ma atrage la ea, ea a stârnit o lăcomie nou în viaţa_

_Ea se mai curând mi se alăture în ceata de noapte…"_

Christine listened as he sang those words in his native tongue, leaning against the door frame.

"You know it's rude to spy." She jumped; surprised that he knew she was there.

"I'm sorry, I heard the music." He turned around to face her. "I'll go if you want.

"Come here…" He held out his hand. As always, she walked over and took his hand, sitting down next to him. He started playing a song she didn't recognize.

"What song is it?" She asked him once the song was over.

"It's a song from a new opera that I'm composing." He answered.

"Really? What's it about?" She asked him eagerly, making him smile. He quickly told her his plot of the opera. "It sounds like it would be a great opera. I can't wait till it's finished."

"Well it won't be ready for a while, I'm just trying to find the good words for the songs and then put it all together."

"How about I help?" She offered. "I don't know much about composing, but I could help with the lyrics."

"I'll take that offer…perhaps you can help me with this one song. I can't seem to get it…"

"Well lucky for you that you have me to help." Erik smiled at her. Suddenly filled with boldness, Christine stood and straddled Erik's lap. Leaning down, her lips met his as her arms wrapped around his neck. His arms snaked around her, pulling her closer to him. Holding her in his arms, he stood up and stepped forward, laying her back on the piano. Her hands moved down his shirt, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders and back. Pulling away, he looked down at her.

"You sure you want to continue?" He asked her.

"I-I don't know…" Sighing, he stepped back and grabbed his shirt. "Erik I'm sorry, I know that you've-"

"It's alright Christine, I know this is new to you and I told you that I'm willing to wait. I don't want to push you and I won't, trust me on that." Smiling, she placed a gently kiss on his lips.

"I do trust you." A smile came to his face. "Now…shall we have breakfast before working on the opera?" She suggested. Nodding, he put his shirt on and the two of them headed downstairs for breakfast. While Christine made breakfast, Erik explained more about his opera to her until the pancakes were finished. After breakfast, they spent the entire day in the music room. For hours they'd try different lyrics and melodies, trying to find the right music. A few times they would take a small break from working and relax on the couch. It wasn't until night that Erik decided to stop working and call it a night. Christine agreed and headed to her room while Erik went into his. He waited a few hours before venturing out into the night to hunt.

The next morning, Christine woke to what she knew was her birthday. Sitting up, she noticed a rose lying on her pillow. Smiling she picked it up and put it to her nose, inhaling the scent. She knew it was from Erik and couldn't help but smile. Soon her door opened to show Erik holding a tray of food in his hands.

"Happy Birthday." He said as he walked over to the bed and set the tray on the bed.

"Erik…you didn't have to make me breakfast." She said to him, smiling.

"I wanted to…besides this is just the start of what I have planned."

"Oh and what is that?" She asked as she took a spoonful of cereal and ate it.

"You'll see, it's a surprise." He quickly kissed her forehead and got off the bed, but her hand grabbed his and pulled him back onto the bed. Chuckling, he lay back on the bed, resting his head on the pillow while she continued to eat her breakfast. Once finished, she pushed the tray away and lay back as well, next to him.

"You know we could just stay here all day and I'd fine with that?" She asked him, making him smile.

"We could but that means we'd miss out date with Valjean." Christine sat up, looking at Erik.

"What?" Erik pulled out two tickets from his pocket. "You got tickets to see Les Miserables?"

"Surprise…I know you love the music and since we already saw Phantom, I figured I'd get tickets for your second favorite musical." Her arms flew around him.

"You are seriously the best boyfriend in the world."

"I try…now the show is tonight so why don't we spend some time in London?" He suggested. Nodding, she quickly got out of bed and ran around the room to get clothes.

"Do you mind?" She asked as she laid the clothes on her bed, wanting to change.

"I've seen you naked before and yet you still kick me out." He got off the bed. "But I'll leave." He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Christine stood there, realizing how stupid she was. She remembered the portrait Erik made of her and how he didn't do anything. Sighing, she quickly changed and walked out of the room to go find Erik who was waiting for her in the kitchen. "You ready?"

"Of course, what are we going to do in London before the show?" She asked as she grabbed her purse.

"I thought we'd go to Hyde Park and spend some time there." Smiling, Christine grabbed her camera and the two left the cottage. Getting into the car, Christine quickly put in a CD she bought last time they were in England. Turning the volume up, Erik set the car in drive and started the drive to London.

Reaching London, Erik parked the car and helped Christine out. The two made their way over to Hyde Park. Reaching the park, Christine's eyes scanned over the beautiful green grounds. Smiling, he took her hand and led to a quite clearing where he sat on the green grass. Christine kept standing, looking around until spotting a familiar tree.

"No way…" She walked over to the tree, looking at the branch. Erik watched as she climbed up the tree and hugged the branching. Realizing what she was doing, he grabbed her camera and walked over to her.

"Hugging a tree, are we?" He asked, smiling. "I'm guessing you know who hugged this branch."

"Of course, Sierra is my idol." Chuckling, Erik held up the camera and took a picture. "Thank you honey." Climbing down, she stood by him waiting to see the picture. Erik handed her the camera so she could see it. "I like it." She placed a kiss on his cheek and skipped over to the clearing. "You coming over or not?"

"Someone is happy this morning." She walked over and sat down.

"Well I'm always happy with you." Smiling, she sat down on his lap, straddling his lap.

"May I remind you that we're out in public?" As much as he knew he shouldn't, his body couldn't deny her.

"You're going to deny me now?" Her lips pouted, making him smile.

"I'll never deny you."

"As much as I want to go back to the cottage, I really want to see Les Miserables."

"And you will…" Smiling, she rolled off and lay down beside him, looking up at the sky and the clouds as they rolled by. Rolling to her side, Christine rested her hand on Erik's chest, filling it rise and sink with each breath. Closing her eyes, she soon drifted off in his arms. What felt like hours, she soon heard her name being called. Opening her eyes, she saw Erik looking down at her. "Time to go see the show." Nodding, she got up and brushed off the grass on her.

"I slept that whole time?" She asked him as they left Hyde Park.

"Yes you did…I guess you wanted to be wide awake for the show. I just thought I'd let you sleep."

"Thank you." Smiling, he led her to the theatre and inside to their seats.

"I still can't believe I've seen West End's version of Phantom and now I'm going to see Les Miserables here too. How can I ever repay?" She asked him as they sat down.

"You don't have to repay me at all. I know how much you love the West End and thought I'd like you see your two favorite shows while you were in Europe."

"You know normally a boyfriend would just take his girlfriend out for dinner on their birthday, not to another country?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm not a normal boyfriend."

"I know you're not and that's alright with me."

"Good." Soon the lights started to dim and music filled the auditorium. Christine's eyes set on stage as the convicts appear on the stage. Her eyes stayed glue to the stage throughout the whole performance. She cried when both Fantine and Eponine died, felt goosebumps form during 'One Day More' and shed a tear for Javert's death. Reaching the final number, Christine's eyes watered with tears while Erik didn't shed one tear.

After the performance Erik let Christine go get her program autographed by the actors before they headed back to the cottage. On the ride home, Christine ranted on about the show and how she loved it. Erik continued to listen for the few hours until they pulled up in the small driveway at the cottage. Entering the cottage, he closed the door behind him just as thunder started to roar.

"Great…" He said as he looked outside and notice lightning fast approaching.

"What?" Christine walked over to the window.

"Well I was going to grill up some food, but look like that won't happen now." Thunder cracked over the cottage, making Christine jump.

"Does this place often lose power during storm?" Christine asked, her voice shaking a bit.

"It does, but there are fire places in many of the rooms so if the power goes out, we'll still have light and warmth."

"Good and maybe could I stay with you tonight…I don't like staying alone in a cottage during a thunderstorm?" She asked him, pleading with her eyes.

"Of course…why don't we head into the living room and I'll start a small fire just in case?" He suggested, making her nod. They two headed into the small living room where Erik started making the fire. Just as the fire was made, thunder cracked and the lights went out. "Well there go the lights."

"How are you used to this?"

"Storms come to Romania and it's the same thing with my castle. I prefer the candles than the light bulbs."

"Ah you're that kind of guy."

"Call me old fashion but that's who I am."

"And that's why I love you." Smiling, he leaned in and kissed her soft lips. Her lips moved with his as her hand gently rested on his cheek, feeling the edge of the mask. Feeling her fingers at his mask, he quickly pulled away from her. "Erik please…" Looking at her, he could see the pleading in her eyes.

"I can't Christine…not my face."

"I'll love you no matter what your face looks like."

"I've heard that before…"

"But I'm not like the others…please Erik, trust me." Sighing, he knew he could trust her with anything including his two big secrets; his face and his thirst for blood.

"Alright…" Smiling, her head slowly reached out for the mask. She was gentle and slow when removing it, not wanting to hurt him. Once the mask was off, she set it down next to her on the couch, eyes scanning his face. Her eyes didn't widen nor did she draw back. She looked at the skin of his cheek that looks raw and red from the mask. Looking up at his forehead, she could clearly see part of his skull. He had no eyebrow above his eye while his lip curled up a bit. Her hand reached up and caressed his deformed cheek. At first, he flinched at the strangle touch but soon relaxed, closing his eyes. Bringing her lips to his face, she planted soft kisses along his deformed side, showing him that it didn't scare her. Opening his eyes, he looked into hers, unprepared for what she was about to say.

"Make love to me Erik…"

**You can guess what the next chapter will be about...**


	20. Beneath a Moonless Sky

**A/N: Sorry I couldn't get this up early, my internet was down due to a storm but it's back up and here's the next the chapter.**

**WARNING: this chapter is M rated and chapters after this will be too. **

Chapter Twenty: Beneath a Moonless Sky

Thunder continued to roar over as the lightning strike the ground around the small building. Only the light from the fire was visible from the outside, filling the small living room with little light. The fire cracked the only sound coming. Erik's eyes clued onto Christine's, still trying fully take in what she said. Christine remained quiet, still a little surprised those words came out of her mouth. Though she didn't regret saying those words, she knew she wanted him and knew that whatever happened between them, she would never regret it. His gold eyes locked with her, not leaving them. Slowly he leaned in to her, making her eyes close as her lips slightly parted. Their lips met in an angel's kiss, so soft and light that Christine thought she dreamed it. He slightly pulled back; opening his eyes a bit to see her reaction. Her eyes opened to gazed upon him.

"Make love to me Erik…" Hearing those words again, his heart took over his mind and leaned in again to kiss her. His hand gently cupped her face, his thumb just brushing the soft skin of her cheek. Moving his hand down her neck to her waist, his other went to her waist as well and moved to her to straddle his lap, never breaking the kiss. Hearing a slight moan from her, he parted his lips to dart his tongue out, begging entrance in her mouth. Answering to him, she parted her lips, letting his tongue fuss along with hers, making the kiss deeper. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She could feel him harden underneath her, making a strange new feeling form between her legs. As their lips fussed together, Erik's hand slide down her back and over her thigh, feeling the muscle of her leg. Breaking the kiss, he moved his lips down to her neck, letting her breath. "Erik…"She didn't even have say anything, he knew what she wanted.

Quickly getting off his lap, she held out her hand for him. Forgetting about his mask, he took her hand and followed up her to his room. Closing the door behind them, he pulled her into his arms. A soft smile came to her face as his hands settled on her waist. Locking his eyes with hers; his hands slide under her top, feeling the soft skin underneath. Slowly, he pulled her shirt up until he fully removed it and let it drop to the ground. His eyes gazed at the lace bra that hugged her breasts.

"Meg?" He asked, making her nod. He figured Meg took her shopping for bras and underwear.

"I-I'm afraid I don't know what to do…" She looked down, embarrassed. Using his finger, he tilted her head up to look at him.

"When it comes to this…this cannot be taught. It all comes from here…" He took her hand and placed it over his heart. Smiling, she moved her hand to the buttons of his shirt and starts unbuttoning his shirt until she could push the fabric away and off his muscular shoulders. Letting the shirt fall; her wondering hands glided across his chest, feeling each of his muscles react to her touch. He moved his hands to her back, up to her bra hook and unhooked it, letting it slide off. His hands softly felt the soft skin of her back, making her sigh in pleasure. Sliding her hands down from his chest, they rested the belt of his pants. She quickly unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants, pushing them down his legs. Helping her, he stepped out of them and made work of hers as well. Left in only their underwear; Erik picked Christine up, carrying her bridal style over to the bed and gently lay her down on the soft sheets. Joining her on the bed, he kissed her lips. She returned his kiss, resting her hands on his waist, tugging at his boxers. Breaking the kiss, he started planting soft kisses down her throat till reaching one of her breast. Gently kissing at first, he took the bud between his teeth; he could hear her moan as her chest arched up to him.

"Erik…" She kept tugging at his boxers, wanting them off. Leaving her breast, he continued to plant kisses down her stomach until coming to the fabric of her underwear. Taking the fabric between his teeth, he slowly pulled it down her long legs and threw it on the floor. His eyes focused on the beauty that was now lying nude in his bed. Quickly, he removed his boxers. Her eyes widen a bit at how big he was, wondering if he even fit in her.

He joined her back on the bed, covering her body with his. Arching her chest up, her harden nipples brushed against his chest. Christine let out a soft moan at the feeling of his skin against her, knowing it felt so right. His golden eyes gazed down at hers.

"Last chance…" He said to her. She understood what he was saying. If she said yes, then he would take her and she would be his. But if she said, then she would regret it.

"Make love to me…" He leaned down, kissing her passionately. She returned his kiss with the same passion as his hand slide down her stomach to her core between her legs, stroking her gently.

"You're wet…" Knowing she was ready, his hand parted her legs so he could settle between them. Placing himself as her entrance, he pressed himself at her walls. "This will hurt." He quickly warned her. Nodding her head, she felt him pressing against her walls. Suddenly he entered her, breaking her virgin walls. Her hands gripped the bed sheets as her eyes closed from the sudden pain as she felt him fill her, stretching her.

"Erik…it hurts…" Tears started to form in her eyes as she tried to deal with the pain.

"Only for a moment, it will go away soon." He said, suddenly inhaling the scent of blood. He could feel something running down his leg and turned his head to see blood. It had been decades since he took a woman's virginity and forgot about the blood that sometimes appears. He could feel himself tensing up, feeling his fangs start to grow.

"Erik?" She gently rested her hand on his deformed cheek, making him look at her. Looking at her, his temptation vanished and all he wanted was her. Smiling soft, he leaned and kissed her, hoping to distract her from the pain. Her lips kissed him back, feeling the pain disappearing. Moving her hand down his side, she rested both on his waist as her legs wrapped around him. Slowly he started to move inside of her, thrusting gently into her. She was thankful that he was being gentle with her at first, but soon grew tired of the softness. Wrapping her legs tighter around him, her hands slid down to his buttocks. "Harder…" Not having to hear it said twice, his pace quicken as he thrust harder into her. Her body moved to respond with each one of his thrusts, making them move as one. His hand brush down her leg, feeling her thigh muscles as they grip to him. A moan left her mouth as she felt him move in and out of her. Erik gripped the headboard tight, making it start to creak due to his strength. She could fell her walls tightening as her climax was approaching. "E-Erik…"

"Come for me." His body started tensing, begging for released. Thrusting into her, he could his climax approaching fast. "Christine…" Crying out as her release came; she dug her nails into his back. Finding his release, he thrust one last time into her as his seed filled her. His grip on the headboard tightened until it split from the pressure. His arms started shaking until they couldn't support him anymore, letting him fall onto Christine. Their sweaty bodies still tangled together as they tried to catch their breaths.

Gaining a little strength, Erik rolled off of her and onto the sheets next to her. His hand grabbed the sheets and pulled it over their exhausted bodies. Christine curled up against Erik's chest as an arm wrapped around her.

"I love you Erik…" She said breathless. A smile came across his face as he looked down at her.

"I love you too Christine." Returning his smile, she placed a kiss on his deformed cheek and rested her head on his chest. Before closing his eyes, he gazed outside. The storm had passed now, but the clouds still stayed, hiding the moon. Turning away from the moonless sky, he closed his eyes and soon drifted off into sleep with Christine in his arms.


End file.
